


It Takes Courage

by jess_writes



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: (probably), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Byleth learns feelings, Canon-Typical Violence, Edelgard learns trust, Everyone lives, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fix-It of Sorts, Hubert learns that not everyone must be assassinated, Male My Unit | Byleth, Slow Burn, but also some things taken from Golden Deer Route, no beta we die like Glenn, not much divergence at first but more later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 61,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23197636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jess_writes/pseuds/jess_writes
Summary: It takes courage to open up to someone. As Byleth grows closer to Edelgard, he ends up learning more about her than he bargained for. Byleth reevaluates his friends and enemies, and Edelgard realizes that she is not as alone as she thinks.Edelgard has a little more courage and the students are able to unite against a common enemy. Black Eagles route.On hiatus.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 85
Kudos: 197





	1. First Encounter

Great Tree Moon

-oOo-

Byleth dreamed of a war. The dream went the same as it always did, with a green-haired warrior woman - Seiros, as the soldiers called her - killing a gruff-looking man she called Nemesis. The dream always ended with the woman cradling a bloody sword, mumbling something about her mother. 

However, his other dream, the one that always came right after the previous, changed. There was a throne in a black abyss; that was the same as before. However, the green-haired girl, the one who was always sleeping on the throne, woke up this time. Byleth stared at her as her eyes slowly opened, almost not believing that his dream had slipped from its normal routine. Most of the girl’s hair was tied up in large, flowing pigtails, and the rest was woven into twin braids, each laced with pink and ivory ribbons, that fell down the front of her shoulders.

The girl’s loud yawn cut through the silence. “Oh my, what could’ve brought you here?” She blinked drowsily.

Byleth just stared at her. Thankfully, the girl kept talking, her voice growing more animated as she fully woke up. “How did you get in here? Who are you, anyways?”

Not knowing how to answer the first question, Byleth opted to answer the second. “My name is Byleth.”

The girl seemed to wait for him to continue, but soon realized that he was done speaking. “Not much of a talker, are you? You mortals are all so amusing,” she said as she smiled. “Well, my name is...” she tilted her head in confusion. “I... can’t remember. Even so, everything here feels so familiar.”

Byleth spoke up, “It is familiar to me, as well. I dream of you sleeping on this throne almost every night.”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise before slowly becoming half-lidded again. With another yawn, she said, “Is that so? How very... interesting. Speaking of sleep, it might be time for... yet another nap.” Her words slowed as she drifted off.

Byleth opened his mouth to try to interrupt her, but noticed that she had already fallen asleep. Maybe next time, he supposed.

* * *

Byleth woke up with a start. “Hey, kid, time to wake up.”

He opened his eyes to see his father, Jeralt, shaking him awake. Jeralt’s light brown hair was tied back in its usual style, and he had his mercenary armor on. A job, then.

Jeralt looked at him with concern. “Were you having that dream again?”

Byleth nodded. Having slept in most of his battlegear, he quickly started putting on his armor and coat. “It changed this time.”

Jeralt’s eyes widened a fraction. “Really? Well, you can tell me about it on the road; our next job is in the Kingdom.”

Byleth nodded again. As the two headed to the door, one of the mercenaries in their group ran into the room. “Jeralt! Sir! Sorry to barge in, but your presence is needed outside. I’ll lead you there.”

Byleth and Jeralt looked at each other. With a shrug, Jeralt moved to follow the mercenary, with Byleth not far behind.

The mercenary led them towards the edge of town, where Byleth spotted three people dressed in uniforms. He wasn’t sure where the uniforms were from, but he could tell that these people were all just a few years younger than him. Students, perhaps?

The one in the middle had short blond hair and a long half-cape that was just a shade more blue than his eyes. He spoke first, “Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn’t bother you were the situation not dire. We’re being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support.”

Jeralt seemed surprised. “Bandits? Here?”

The one on the right was a girl with long, white hair. A few strands of hair were tied with thin, purple ribbons - whose color matched her eyes - on both sides of her head. She wore a similar cape, but only about half the length and red. "It's true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp."

The one on the left, a boy with olive skin, green eyes, and short brown hair, chimed in, "We've been separated from our companions and we're outnumbered. They're after our lives... not to mention our gold." His cape was yellow and only covered his shoulder. At his remark, Byleth scrutinized the three more closely. They did seem rather wealthy, judging by both their remarkably undamaged clothes and the overly formal way in which the first one spoke. Maybe they were nobles of some sort.

Jeralt replied, "I'm impressed you're staying so calm considering the situation. I... Wait. That uniform..." Byleth wondered how his father recognized the uniform, as Byleth had never seen it before.

The mercenary, who had previously left to check on the situation, arrived just then. "Bandits spotted just outside the village! And damn, are there a lot of them."

"Well we're not about to abandon the village now," Jeralt said. He turned to Byleth. "Are you ready?"

Byleth nodded. Turning to the three nobles, he said, "We are happy to help."

All three of them smiled in relief.

* * *

Just outside the village, the five of them spotted the bandits. They ducked behind some trees and observed the bandits from afar. A few bandits took the lead, while one who seemed to be their leader stood in the back. Jeralt tilted his head toward Byleth. "There they are. Kid, you take the lead this time. These ones," he gestured towards the nobles, "can fight, you just need to guide them."

"Alright." Byleth wondered how Jeralt knew that, but maybe it had something to do with the uniform. Or the weapons they were carrying.

The brown-haired one piped up, "Hey, don't we get a say in this?"

The white-haired girl glared at him. "Now is not the time to argue, Claude." The boy, Claude, raised his hands in surrender, an easy smile still on his face. The girl looked at Byleth now, "Do not mind him. We would love to see what you are capable of." Her gaze was level, almost as if she were challenging him. "And you can call me Edelgard."

The blond boy's eyes widened. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. For this battle, I am at your command." The name gave Byleth pause. Blaiddyd? He couldn't give it much thought at the moment, though.

"Yeah, yeah, your highnesses, we get it." Claude interrupted. "Do you have a plan...?" he hedged.

"Byleth," Byleth supplied.

"Right. Do you have a plan in mind, Byleth?"

Byleth looked at their weapons. Edelgard had an axe and a dagger, Dimitri had a lance and a sword, and Claude had a bow and quiver. "Yes. I will lead with Edelgard and Dimitri guarding the flanks. Claude, you follow behind with your bow. Father, round up any stragglers that we miss."

"Sounds good, let's move forward then." Edelgard said.

Byleth took the three nobles with him, and Jeralt trailed a fair distance behind on his steed. The bandits in the front were a group of three, and Byleth moved to engage. On his right, Dimitri struck one of the bandits with his lance, dodging the bandit’s sword before striking again with a killing blow. One of Claude's arrows hit the bandit on his left, and Edelgard finished him off with her axe. Byleth easily took care of the bandit standing in front of him with his sword.

They soon approached the bandit leader, who stood in the back. The leader yelled, "You're just a ton of weak fucking kids! You're no match for me, the mighty Kostas!!"

"Ruffians never have the most pleasant language, do they," Dimitri remarked.

Byleth heard Claude's voice behind him, "He's got a bit of an ego, too."

"That's an understatement if I’ve ever heard one," Edelgard quipped, slamming her axe into another bandit. Byleth was amused; these three really liked to banter. They were probably a little too relaxed for the situation, though.

The four of them fought through the majority of the bandits until they finally reached Kostas, who was guarded by a few of his goons. Claude helped Dimitri take out one of them, and Edelgard readied her axe for a large swing at another. Byleth moved to assist her, but, to his surprise, she took the bandit out in one good swing. Actually, "good" was a massive understatement; the bandit had flown back several feet before crumpling to the ground. The girl was a bit stronger than he expected, to put it lightly.

Byleth tore his eyes away just in time to parry another bandit's sword with his own. Right as they disengaged, the bandit lunged straight at Byleth, but he was prepared. Byleth easily sidestepped and grabbed the bandit’s arm, pulling it and guiding the bandit’s abdomen straight into the point of his sword. Byleth quickly pulled his sword free, letting the bandit fall unceremoniously onto the ground. He didn’t bother wiping off the blood.

Byleth looked up and saw Edelgard and Claude engaging Kostas. Dimitri was locked in a battle a small distance away, but he didn’t seem to be having any trouble. Claude had placed himself at what seemed like his own maximum range from Kostas; he took an extra moment to aim each arrow. Edelgard and Kostas exchanged several blows with their axes, but neither of them seemed to be injured. 

Byleth ran to help with Kostas, but Kostas disengaged and ran the moment he spotted him. Edelgard seemed to be caught by surprise, but she quickly recovered and threw her axe at Kostas’ retreating form. Not the smartest move, in Byleth’s opinion, but the blunt side of her axe connected with Kostas’ head and he fell. Byleth breathed out in a small huff. That was that, he supposed.

Most of the other bandits ran away after seeing their leader fall, and a few ran towards the body. Since there was no immediate danger, Byleth slowed his pace. However, to Byleth’s alarm, the bandits who had gathered around Kostas cheered. Either Edelgard’s axe hadn’t hit very hard or Kostas had a thick head; whichever it was, Kostas jumped back up, even more angry than ever, “You’ll pay for that, kid!”

Kostas broke through the small crowd of bandits and moved to attack Edelgard. Byleth started running, fearing that he was too late. Edelgard was strong, but her axe was wedged in the dirt a dozen meters away. She drew out a small dagger and lifted it in a defensive stance; Byleth knew it wouldn’t be enough against Kostas’ powerful axe. He couldn’t make it in time, so he dashed in front of Edelgard, shielding her with his body. That’s when the world froze.

* * *

It was the world from his dream again, but he wasn’t asleep this time. He looked around, trying to find the throne, when he heard the green-haired girl’s voice behind him, “Honestly! What are you accomplishing with that little stunt? It’s like you’re trying to get me killed, you fool!” He turned around to face her.

The girl put her chin in her palm and sighed. “Well, it’s fine. After all, if you don’t know the value of your own life, you’re not going to protect it very well, are you? ‘Course not.” The girl sprung up from her chair and clapped her hands together. “Well, then, I guess it’s up to me to guide you from now on. You can call me Sothis, but I’m also known as ‘The Beginning.’”

Byleth looked up at her, “I thought you couldn’t remember your name.”

It was a simple statement, but the girl, Sothis, looked offended. “What? Do you think I am a simple child who forgot her own name?”

Byleth shook his head, “No, but I wonder what made you remember... and what made you wake up.”

Sothis suddenly appeared thoughtful. She tapped her chin with her finger, “I wonder that as well. However, we have a much more important predicament on our hands.” She looked at Byleth accusingly. “How do you suppose we get out of this situation? I am not sure how I managed it, but I was able to freeze the hands of time. The moment time starts again, though, that axe will still tear into your flesh and we will both die.”

Byleth was surprised, but it only showed through the slight widening of his eyes. So, he was still going to die, then? He wasn’t sure about the extent of Sothis’ powers. Was pausing time really the only thing she could do? “Turn back the hands of time,” he replied.

Sothis smiled, “Yes, of course! If I turn it back, you will surely learn from your mistakes and correct them. You really are quite troublesome.” A yellow circle filled with patterns and runes Byleth had never seen before appeared in front of her. “Go, now. I cannot rewind time too far, so hopefully you are prepared.” The circle glowed brighter.

* * *

Byleth watched Edelgard throw her axe at Kostas. Kostas fell, but Byleth knew better than to slow down. He kept running at full speed.

Kostas yelled, “You’ll pay for that, kid!” Byleth had ample time to reach Edelgard this time, so he stood in front of her, holding his sword defensively. Kostas swung down with his axe, and Byleth used the momentum to disarm him. The axe went flying to the side. Byleth took a moment to check on Edelgard - unharmed, but giving him an appraising look - and when he turned back, Kostas had already scrambled away to his goons. 

Behind him, Claude shouted, "Hey, over here!" and caught up to them with Dimitri at his side. "Are you guys alright?"

Edelgard answered for them both, "Yes, we are fine."

Dimitri inclined his head, "That is good to hear."

At that moment, Jeralt rode up to them on his horse. He looked at Byleth, "Did you just...?"

Jeralt was interrupted by the arrival of a group of knights. One of them yelled, "The Knights of Seiros are here! We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students." He seemed to be in charge, as he ordered the others to round up the bandits who were getting away. So, the three nobles  _ were _ students, then.

Seiros was a familiar word to Byleth, since he had heard it in his dreams. It was the name of the green-haired warrior woman. He wondered how they were connected. Before, he wouldn't have given it any thought, but Sothis proved that his dreams may be more real than he thought.

Surprisingly, the leader of the knights, Alois, seemed to know Jeralt, calling him "Captain." Jeralt looked a little exasperated, and Byleth could see why. Alois seemed to be the epitome of the word "jolly." He seemed nice, though, and cracked a couple of jokes. He had short brown hair and a long moustache.

Surprisingly, Alois mentioned that Jeralt had disappeared about 20 years ago. Byleth didn't mention it, but stowed the information away for later. Jeralt agreed that he and Byleth would accompany the knights to "the monastery," and, before Byleth could ask what that was, the two walked off without him, leaving him with the three students.

Edelgard spoke first, "I appreciate your help back there. Your skill is beyond question. And your father... that would be Jeralt, the Blade Breaker?" Byleth nodded. "Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live. Have I missed anything?"

That was news to Byleth. "I didn't know he was a captain."

Edelgard seemed surprised at that. "How curious. I'd wager the explanation for that is fascinating indeed."

Claude cut in, "Hey, you're coming with us to the monastery, right? I'd love to bend your ear as we travel." That was fine with Byleth, as long as no actual ear-pulling was involved. "Oh, I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officer's Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery."

Claude kept talking, "We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it."

Edelgard looked annoyed, "That would be because you ran off."

Claude grinned, "Too true! I was the first to make a strategic retreat.” His face fell a little, “These two followed me, though, bringing all those bandits after us. Utterly ridiculous."

Dimitri spoke up, his voice laced with mirth, "Ah, so that's what you were thinking, Claude. And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all."

"His intentions were clear as day. You will prove a lacking ruler if you can't see the truth behind a person's words," Edelgard said.

Dimitri raised an eyebrow as he retorted, "You will be a lacking ruler yourself if you fail to trust those you rely on.”

Claude turned to Byleth and winked. "Oh joy, a royal debate between their highnesses. I wonder how being completely predictable affects one's ability to wield power. Personally, as the embodiment of distrust, I'd say your little exchange smacks of naivete." 

Edelgard snapped at that, "Me, naive? Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort?"

Claude raised his hands in surrender, and that seemed to be the end of the bickering. Byleth watched the students as they kept talking back and forth trying to... recruit him? They made him choose a side; put on the spot, he chose the Adrestrian Empire. Edelgard seemed pleased for a moment before Alois called that they were about to head out. 

Everyone left to make preparations to leave, leaving Byleth alone. Sothis' voice rang in his head, "My, my. They are in such a hurry. You know... each of the three is most unique." Caught off guard, Byleth jumped a little. "What, are you surprised to hear me? Well, you must become accustomed to my voice now, so you are not so shocked every time." Byleth nodded wordlessly and observed the three students from afar.

Claude had an easy smile, but the smile never truly seemed to reach his eyes. He had called himself "the embodiment of distrust," so Byleth wondered if it had anything to do with that.

Dimitri seemed very genuine, but something about him was a little off. Despite his sincerity, Byleth couldn't discern much more than that.

Edelgard was fierce and quick to anger, and something about her down-to-business attitude reminded Byleth a bit of himself. However, she always seemed to be evaluating him. He watched her as she packed up her things; he wondered what she thought about him saving her life. At that moment, she looked up at him, and he saw that calculating gaze again as they locked eyes.

Byleth found that he couldn't look away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first fanfiction for any sort of fandom, so I'm pretty excited. This chapter was mostly a rehash of what happened in canon, but that should change the further we get in chapters. This story will take a little while to diverge very far from canon, but I have big plans. There will also be a lot of Edelgard/Byleth, so look forward to that.
> 
> I'm not sure how often I'll post, but I have a few chapters written already. I'll also probably have a lot of time to write because of coronavirus. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Until next time.


	2. Meet the Black Eagles

Great Tree Moon

-oOo-

The group needed to trek back to the monastery on foot, so they didn't get there until the next afternoon. Jeralt and Alois led the way with the knights, while Byleth trailed behind with the students.

During the walk, the students filled him in. Just as the land of Fodlan was split into three countries, the students of the academy were divided into three houses. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd would soon inherit the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and he was the current head of the Blue Lion house. That’s why Byleth had recognized his name earlier; it was the name of the royal line. Claude von Reigan was the leader of the Golden Deer house and the grandson of Duke Riegan, the leader of the Alliance. Edelgard von Hresvelg was the Imperial princess, next in line to be the emperor of the Adrestrian Empire. She was the leader of the Black Eagle house.

Byleth had no idea just how high up these nobles were until now. He said as much, and Edelgard in particular looked perplexed. “So, you saved me without knowing my status?”

Dimitri seemed to share her suspicion. “Hm. It is rather hard to believe, but perhaps this man just protects people from the good of his heart.”

Claude laughed at that, but refused to explain at the confused looks from the other three.

Byleth wasn’t sure why he protected Edelgard either; it was mostly a spur of the moment decision. It was odd, though, seeing how mistrusting they all were. He supposed that nobles simply had to question everyone’s motives in order to survive.

As the group emerged from the forest, the monastery came into view. “There’s Garreg Mach Monastery,” Claude mused. “It really is Fodlan in a nutshell. The good and the bad.”

They arrived at the monastery shortly, and Byleth marveled at the sheer size of the place. It was built almost like a fortress, but it was filled with students and teachers more than military. One of the guards at the gate waved to them as they passed by with a smile. Byleth waved back, albeit with a neutral expression. 

Alois and his knights led them to the center of the monastery, where Byleth caught sight of a woman gazing down from a high balcony. He heard Jeralt's voice on his left. "It's her. Lady Rhea."

The woman had green hair and wore an elaborate gold crown with a white dress. After a few moments, Byleth' eyes widened in realization. This woman had a gentler, more peaceful facial expression and less practical clothing, but there was no doubt. This woman, Lady Rhea, looked exactly the same as the warrior, Seiros, from his dream.

Rhea smiled from afar when she spotted them, but neither Byleth nor Jeralt returned it.

* * *

The knights and the students dispersed, leaving Alois to lead Byleth and Jeralt to a large audience chamber. Alois left them once they arrived at the entrance, leaving them alone with Rhea and a man who seemed to be her attendant. He had dark green hair and a short beard, and he wore a blue and gold robe. Rhea spoke first, “Welcome back to the monastery, Jeralt. It has been a while.”

Jeralt breathed out a small puff of air. “That it has.”

“I see that you have been gifted the miracle of childbirth.” She turned to face Byleth. “What is your name, child?” Addressing a man over twenty years old as a “child” might’ve been rude if done by anyone else, but Rhea’s voice held such warmth that it only came across as caring.

“Byleth.”

Her attendant gave him a dirty look for his curt response, but Rhea herself didn’t seem to mind. “That is a truly wonderful name. My name is Rhea, and this is my assistant Seteth. You and your father will always be welcome at the monastery.” She looked back at Jeralt, “I am sure that you are aware by now, but I would like you to rejoin the Knights of Seiros. It would be wonderful to have you back at the monastery again.”

Jeralt grunted in amusement. “It’s not like I have much of a choice either way. I’ll rejoin your knights.” Byleth supposed that it  _ was _ rather difficult to say no to the leader of the largest religious organization in the world.

He didn't mind the idea of staying at the monastery, but he wasn't sure exactly how he fit in. "What will you have me do, then?"

Seteth crossed his arms and sighed. "The academy is currently short a professor. Lady Rhea," he looked pointedly at her, "thought that you might make a good replacement." 

Byleth almost felt like sighing, as well. He seemed to already be on Seteth's bad side, even though he hadn't done anything yet.

Rhea smiled warmly at Byleth. It eased a bit of his worry. "We would be honored to have the son of Jeralt as a professor here at our academy.“

Byleth was confused. He wasn’t sure why she trusted him so much just because he was Jeralt’s son. Sure, Jeralt had known her in the past, but she and Byleth had never met before, as far as Byleth knew. If her words to Jeralt were any indication, she didn’t even know about Byleth’s existence before today. “What makes you believe that I am so qualified?”

Rhea’s smile didn’t waver. “While I have not personally seen your skill, Alois has. He believes you are an excellent fit for the role and has officially recommended you. As he is one of my most trusted knights, I have faith in his judgement. Your wealth of battle experience is exactly what this academy needs.”

Surely, he wasn’t the only one with battle experience in the monastery, but he supposed her reasoning made sense. He didn’t have any teaching experience, but everyone had to start somewhere. “I understand.”

Rhea looked pleased at his response. “I believe that the other two professors will be allowing you to pick a house, so I suggest you get to know the students first. They should still be out in the academy around this time, if you want to meet them." It seemed to be a subtle dismissal, so Jeralt and Byleth both bowed and took their leave.

Just as the door closed behind them, a woman walked up to them. She wore a blue dress with a low neckline and a white fur coat that she left unbuttoned. Looking at Jeralt, she smiled, "Oh, you must be the new professor! My, how tall and handsome you are!"

An older man rushed to catch up with her from the hallway. He had short gray hair and a moustache, and he wore a long, grey-brown coat. His monocle topped off the look. "Manuela, please don't give the new professor such a hard time!"

Manuela opened her mouth to reply as the man caught up to her, but Jeralt spoke before she could. "Actually, I'm not the one you're looking for."

Manuela gave Byleth a curious look. "Oh, it's you, then? So young."

Byleth simply nodded, and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Jeralt clapped Byleth's shoulder, "You can take it from here, kid. Meet me in my office later, it's right down the hall." Byleth nodded again, and Jeralt walked away.

Manuela turned to Byleth again. "I never introduced myself! My name is Manuela. I'm a professor, a physician, a songstress, and available." She winked.

Byleth wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he just asked, "You're a songstress?"

Manuela's light brown hair bounced as she nodded. "Why, yes! I used to belong to the Mittelfrank Opera Company in the Empire."

The older man adjusted his monocle, "My name is Hanneman. It's a pleasure to meet you. If you have the time later, mind if I check whether you bear a crest? Jeralt mentioned that you'd never been tested."

"No, I don't mind."

Manuela nudged Hanneman's arm, "Not a few minutes in and you're already propositioning the professor!" She laughed, "We should be helping him prepare."

Hanneman gave her a flat look. "I could say the same thing about you, but," he released a long breath, "you're right. Byleth, we thought it would be best if you got to pick a house first. Return here in the evening with your choice."

Manuela leaned in conspiratorially, "Just so you know, I've only informed the house leaders that you are the new professor. It'll be more fun that way." Hanneman raised an eyebrow at her, but she continued, "We can hold a little faculty meeting tomorrow to get you all sorted, so don't worry about anything. Go have fun with the kids!" She shooed him away with her hands.

At this point, Byleth was a little tired of being dismissed from one location to the next, but he did as she said and walked back down the stairs and outside. No one had told him where the classrooms were, but they weren't too far from the main building.

The students were loitering about in the classrooms and the lawn just outside of them. Looking around, Byleth felt a little overwhelmed. He wasn't sure where to start.

After a few moments, Edelgard walked up beside him. He turned to her only to see her smiling in amusement. "A little lost?"

He blinked at her. "You could... say so." He wasn't sure if he should be admitting that to one of the students, but he really did need help.

Edelgard's smile became gentler. "Do not worry, Professor. I can show you around and introduce you to some of my classmates. I was just about to rejoin them when you showed up."

Byleth tried to give her a grateful look, but he was sure his face was still blank. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

They were standing close to a classroom, so she simply gestured towards it. "This is my classroom, the Black Eagles' room. I hope that we can all make you feel welcome."

As the two walked through the door, a tall, black-haired man greeted them with a bow. His hair covered part of his face. "Welcome back, Lady Edelgard. And who might this be?"

"This is Byleth Eisner. He helped save us from some bandits the other day.” She turned to Byleth, “This is Hubert, my trusted aide. He has served me since I was a child."

Byleth was amazed at how Hubert could make a polite smile look so evil. Perhaps it was his lack of eyebrows. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope we will see more of each other in the future." He chuckled, "Or not." Hubert bowed again, saying a quick "my lady" before dismissing himself.

Edelgard smiled apologetically at Byleth. “He's just like that."

Byleth didn't really mind. "It's no bother."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. It seems that everyone is here if you want to introduce yourself."

Byleth glanced around the room. The room could probably hold twenty students with how much desk space it had, but there were only eight chairs. The students were scattered around the room, mostly chatting in pairs. Hubert had retreated to a desk in the back corner. Byleth had only met him for a few moments, but it seemed like his normal behavior.

What was more surprising was that there was another student standing in the opposite corner. She was facing the wall, so Byleth couldn't see much besides her short purple hair. He wondered if the other corners of the room might be filled with students, too, but they thankfully weren't.

A girl with braided magenta hair now stood in front of Hubert's desk. Across the room, a noble with orange hair was making wide gestures at a girl in a hat; she seemed a little exasperated with him. A short, blue-haired boy talked with a taller one nearby. Just as Byleth saw them, the blue-haired one noticed Edelgard and waved, "Hey, Edelgard! Welcome back! Did you get into any exciting fights on your trip?"

The taller one swayed a little. "Oh, hey. Sorry about him, he has no sense of propriety."

Edelgard sighed, "It is fine. To answer your question, Caspar, yes. The other house leaders and I were attacked by a group of bandits, but we were saved by a couple of mercenaries. I actually brought one of them with me today."

Caspar then looked at Byleth, his eyes quickly glancing down at the sword he wore on his hip. "You're a mercenary? That's so cool! You should teach me some moves sometime."

Byleth was a little flattered; it wasn’t every day that the Ashen Demon was called “cool.” He replied, “I wouldn’t mind that.”

Caspar pumped his fist, “Hell yeah!” After a few moments, his face went blank. “Oh yeah, I never asked your name.”

“My name is Byleth.”

Despite Byleth’s impassive response, Caspar grinned. “Nice to meet you! My name is Caspar. This one here,” he clapped the taller student on the shoulder, “is Linhardt.”

Linhardt brushed Caspar’s hand off, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off to take a nap.” He yawned as he walked away, dragging Caspar with him.

The way Linhardt acted was a tad familiar.  _ He is very similar to you, Sothis. _

Byleth half-expected her not to hear, but the loud shout of “Hey!” confirmed otherwise. Sothis was obviously offended, “You really think I am so similar to that child? Also, of course I can hear you! Did that not occur to you before?” 

It was mildly surprising, but not a total shock. She  _ did _ exist in his head, after all. Truthfully, it was rather convenient that he wouldn't always need to speak to her aloud. His thoughts were interrupted by Edelgard, “Professor? Are you alright?”

Byleth realized how odd he must look, staring into the distance while talking to Sothis. “Yeah. Sorry.”

Edelgard tilted her head a little. “If you’re sure.”

In the silence that followed, the orange-haired noble’s voice could be heard clearly over the din of the room. “You should not be worried, Dorothea, for it is my duty to protect anyone who is in distress! No one will give you any trouble on my watch!” He suddenly looked around the room, probably realizing that it had gone quiet. Dorothea covered her face with her hand, her hat drooping to the side a little.

The girl with the braid spoke up from her spot next to Hubert. “Is there anyone who is putting Dorothea through trouble, Ferdinand?” She spoke in an odd manner, but her accent was very faint.

The noble, Ferdinand, smiled uncomfortably. “Ah, no, it was just that...”

Dorothea interrupted him loudly, “I was just telling Ferdie here about some of the people here at the monastery. Don’t worry, they shouldn’t be giving me any trouble.” She spoke with a hint of a laugh in her voice. After a pause, her eyes landed on Byleth and Edelgard. “Oh! Welcome back, Edie. Who did you bring with you?”

Edelgard adjusted her hair a little before speaking, “This is Byleth Eisner, a mercenary who helped us deal with some bandits on our trip. He will be staying at the monastery, starting today.”

Dorothea clasped her hands together in front of herself. “Well, it is nice to meet you. I’m Dorothea.”

Ferdinand seemed to regain his composure and introduced himself with a bow, “I am Ferdinand von Aegir! It is a pleasure to meet you. Have you met all of the Black Eagles yet?” Ferdinand glanced around the room, his eyes finally landing on the purple-haired girl in the corner. “Bernadetta, have you introduced yourself yet?”

A small “Eep!” came from the corner.

Ferdinand continued, “Come, Bernadetta! It is a noble’s duty to make others feel welcome!”

Dorothea frowned at him, “Ferdie, you don’t need to be so pushy. I’ll go get her.” She hurried off to the corner, putting a hand on Bernadetta’s shoulder.

The girl with the braid took that opportunity to approach Byleth. She offered her hand to shake. “It is nice to be meeting you. My name is Petra. I hope that you will be having a great time here.”

Byleth took her offered hand. It was nice to finally meet someone who wasn’t so... chaotic. “Thank you. It is nice to meet you too.” Petra nodded with a small smile.

Petra looked over her shoulder and stepped back, making room for Dorothea, who had a reluctant Bernadetta in tow. Dorothea spoke for them both, “Byleth, this is Bernadetta. Bernie, this is Byleth.”

A moment passed, and Byleth realized that he might need to speak up first. “It is nice to meet you, Bernadetta.”

Bernadetta looked to the side, “It’s, um, nice to meet you too. I hope you have a nice stay, bye!” Before Byleth could get another word in, she had skittered off.

Dorothea shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry about her. She’s trying her best.”

Byleth shook his head, “It is fine.”

Petra spoke up, “So, I have been doing some thinking. What will you be doing while you are staying at the monastery?”

Lindhart, who had collapsed at a desk, looked up. “Actually, I was wondering that too.”

Byleth hesitated a little before answering. Manuela hadn’t told anyone herself, but she didn’t say that  _ he _ was required to keep it a secret, did she? “Archbishop Rhea wants me to become a professor here. The other professors are letting me pick a class, so I thought that I should try to get to know everyone.”

Dorothea smiled, “Well, it seems you came at the right time, what with that performance you just got. For what it’s worth, I hope you pick our class.”

Byleth was surprised to hear that. “Really?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Edelgard look up at him. “It would be a pleasure to have you here, Professor.”

* * *

Outside the classroom, Edelgard stopped and turned to him. She looked a little sheepish. “I was planning on showing you the other classrooms, but I’ve realized that is a job more fitting of the other house leaders. If you want, though, I can continue showing you around tomorrow?” It sounded more like a question than a statement.

Byleth did his best to look sincere. “I’d like that.”

“It’s a plan, then. We can meet here tomorrow morning before classes.” At Byleth’s nod, she nodded back and left.

Byleth visited the other classes, and they were just as unruly as the Black Eagles. Dimitri introduced him to the Blue Lions, who seemed to all know each other fairly well. Dimitri was childhood friends with Felix, Ingrid, and Sylvain, but there seemed to be some strain on their friendships. Felix insisted on calling Dimitri “the boar,” and Ingrid seemed annoyed at Sylvain for hitting on girls all the time. Dedue was attached to Dimitri by the hip; their relationship seemed similar to that of Hubert and Edelgard. Mercedes and Annette were friends who went to the School of Sorcery together, leaving Ashe as the odd one out. He seemed kind, though, and Byleth thought that he would quickly become friends with the rest of his class.

The Golden Deer were probably the friendliest of the houses, and none of them had much issue with each other. Claude had no dedicated bodyguard, but Hilda seemed to be his right-hand woman. Raphael and Ignatz seemed to get along well, even though they were about as opposite as can be. Byleth didn’t think it was possible, but Lorenz flaunted his nobility even more than Ferdinand. Leonie and Lysithea both chewed him out for it. Marianne was shy, but Hilda encouraged her to take part in conversations. They all seemed rather laid back as a whole.

That evening, Byleth returned to the audience chamber to meet Rhea, Hanneman, and Manuela. They took their time going over the three houses with him, but he had already made his choice. Honestly, he had probably decided even before meeting the house members. He would choose Edelgard’s house.

“I will teach the Black Eagles.”

* * *

He visited Jeralt immediately after, since his office was just down the hall from the audience chamber. He knocked on the door, and Jeralt immediately let him in.

“Hey, kid. Did you make your choice already?”

Byleth nodded. “I chose the Black Eagles.”

Jeralt snorted. “The princess, huh? Good choice.”

Byleth shot him a questioning look at his laugh, but it didn’t really matter. He wondered why Jeralt had asked him to meet him. Jeralt never asked for him like this without a reason. “What was it that you wanted to talk about?”

Jeralt’s face went serious again. “Right, that. I just wanted to let you know that you should watch out for Lady Rhea. I’m not sure what she’s planning, making you a professor like this. It should be fine, but don’t take everything she says at face value.”

Jeralt was usually not very trusting, but Byleth thought he was unusually untrusting of Rhea. “Did she do something to you in the past? When you were at the monastery before?”

Jeralt sighed, “Yeah, you could say that. But that’s a conversation for another day. It’s been a long day for the both of us.” He paused for a moment. “Oh, right. Did you want to talk about your dream from the other night?”

Byleth had completely forgotten about that until now. He supposed now was as good of a time as any. “The sleeping girl in my dream woke up.”

Jeralt’s mouth opened slightly in surprise. “Really? Did she say anything?”

“Not particularly. She just seemed very tired.” Byleth hesitated for a few moments. Jeralt just listened quietly, waiting for him to continue. “She also appeared during the battle. With the bandits. She rewound time for me.”

“Rewound time?”

“The first time I tried to save Edelgard, I wasn’t successful.” Byleth let Jeralt fill in the blanks on that one.

Jeralt looked a little incredulous, but Byleth couldn’t blame him. He was saying impossible things, after all. “You’re sure that’s what happened? I’m sorry, but it's hard to believe.”

“I know. You don’t need to believe me, but I thought that you should know.”

Jeralt considered the new information in silence for a few moments before speaking. “I’m... not sure what this means, but I’ll think it over more later. We should both probably get some rest.”

Byleth was actually wondering about that. “Do you know where I’m staying?”

“Oh, did nobody tell you? You’ll be staying over at the dorms with the students. I can show you when we head out.”

There was a pause before Jeralt spoke again. “I never asked you - are you okay with how things turned out here? We don’t have much of a choice either way, but I want to hear your thoughts.”

Byleth tilted his head a little. “I’m not sure. I’m not opposed to it.”

Jeralt gave him a warm smile. “Well, that’s better than the opposite. I hope you can adjust to life here.”

Byleth hoped so, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all,  
> I was going to wait until Wednesday to post this, but I felt like posting today instead. :P I want to play around with the idea of Byleth and Jeralt being a little more open with each other, if you were wondering about that scene at the end.
> 
> I'm not super confident about the story's current pacing (a little too much summary/glossing over things) but hopefully I'll improve over time. Either way, hope you enjoyed. Until next time!


	3. Training Session

Great Tree Moon

-oOo-

The next morning, Byleth waited outside the Black Eagle classroom for Edelgard. Thankfully, he didn’t need to wait long, and he saw her approach from the direction of the dorms. She looked slightly concerned. “I hope you weren’t waiting for very long, Professor.”

“No, I’ve only been here for a few minutes.”

The concerned expression was replaced with a smile. “That is good to hear. I’ve been told that you ended up choosing our class. Any particular reason why?”

Byleth tilted his head in thought before replying. “You were the most interesting.”

To Byleth’s surprise, Edelgard seemed to hold back a laugh. Did he really say something so funny? “I must admit that I am interested in you as well, my teacher. I am certain that you have what it takes to lead our class.” It was only for a moment, but her eyes had flashed with a challenging glint. She continued, "Also, you may refer to me as you would any of the others. I may be the Imperial princess, but here I am just a student."

Her expression lost some of its openness as she switched topics. “Now, I imagine you already know that the audience chamber and faculty offices are upstairs.” Byleth nodded in confirmation. “And I showed you the classrooms yesterday. Have you been to the dining hall yet?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Well, that’s our first stop, then.”

Edelgard led him past the other classrooms and down an outdoor hallway before entering a long room filled with students dining at large tables. There were a few students standing in line at the counter, where food was being served. Edelgard spoke to him as they walked, “Here is the dining hall. Food is served almost all day, but it usually closes a short while after dinner time. There is a new special every day, so you would do well to watch out for that...” she trailed off. Her pace slowed slightly; when Byleth looked to see what happened, he saw her eyes glued to something on one of the tables.

Byleth craned his neck to see what she was seeing. “Is something wrong?”

Edelgard whipped her head to face him, her hair fanning out behind her. Her cheeks were tinged a faint pink. “Ah, no. It seems that today’s special is sweet buns.”

Byleth realized that she must have been looking at a plate of them on the table. He took a mental note: Edelgard likes sweet buns. "Well, maybe we should come back later then."

Edelgard regained her composure, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea."

They walked out the other side of the dining hall and down the stairs, where there was a small pier overlooking a lake. "Here are the docks. I'm not an expert, but I'm told that you can rent fishing poles at the shack by the pier."

Byleth glanced at the shack in interest. There was a man standing in front with full fishing gear. Peering inside, Byleth could see several fishing poles, but no bait. "Do they provide bait, or do I need to bring my own?"

"You like to fish, then? I'm not sure, but the market is just around the corner if you need to buy some." Byleth would need to check on that later, then.

Edelgard technically gave him a tour of the market, but it was so small that they only needed to walk in a small circle to see everything. Byleth was almost stunned by how small it was; there were less than 10 vendors and even less stalls. He had thought that such a grand monastery would have a bit more selection. Edelgard looked up at him in amusement, “The monastery’s market is admittedly small, but it does suit well for daily needs. There is a bigger market in the nearby town if you find yourself needing anything that isn’t provided here.”

It wasn’t like Byleth did much shopping beyond his basic needs anyways, but it was good information to have.

She continued leading him through the rest of the monastery, which included the auditorium, the stables, the knights' hall, and the greenhouse. She commented on the uses of each location, even though they were mostly self-explanatory.

When they arrived at the training grounds, there was only one person there. Felix of the Blue Lions was swinging a sword at a dummy, rather skillfully in Byleth's opinion. His hair was even messier than usual, his bun barely keeping it in place. He seemed to be absorbed in his routine; he didn't even react when Edelgard spoke.

"We'll probably be here often for classes, since it is the only place we can freely spar. The church only keeps wooden training weapons here, but they are free to use for everyone."

Byleth looked at the weapon racks, seeing dozens of wooden weapons of every type. They looked high-quality, but wood was rather flimsy as a material. Remembering how forcefully Edelgard had swung her axe against the bandits, he hoped that she wouldn't break any of the weapons.

Byleth turned back to her, "I'm sure they will be useful."

They left, and Edelgard walked with him to the entrance of a bridge. Strangely, she made no move to cross it. "Across this bridge is the cathedral. You can visit it later, if you wish."

Byleth wondered why she didn’t bring him there directly like she had everywhere else, but he didn't comment on it. He resolved to visit the cathedral soon. "Thanks, I'll do that."

Edelgard smiled at him, "Well then, that concludes our little tour. I hope you'll be able to find your way around better now."

Byleth tried to smile back, but he didn't feel his lips curl. "Thank you, it was very helpful."

Edelgard nodded at that, "I'll see you in class this afternoon then."

She started to turn around, but Byleth interrupted her. "Wait!" She turned around, giving him a questioning look. "Did you still want to go to the dining hall?"

Edelgard looked surprised. "Y-yes. I would enjoy that."

This time, Byleth led the way to the dining hall. Edelgard stood still for several moments before rushing to catch up.

* * *

That afternoon, it was time for Byleth to teach his first class period with the Black Eagles. Earlier, he had attended a small faculty meeting with Maneula and Hanneman, and they gave him a better idea of what his job would be. His experience as a mercenary would make him a valuable combat teacher both in technique and strategy. He would not be able to help his students with their magic technique due to his lack of expertise, but Manuela and Hanneman assured him that he could send those students to them. Apparently, faculty often trained each other, so Byleth might even learn some magic over time if he had the aptitude. Additionally, they had told him that there would be a small mock battle with the other classes at the end of the week.

Hanneman had also run a test to see if he had a crest. He did have one, but Hanneman couldn’t tell what it was.

Byleth sat at his desk at the front of the classroom as the students slowly filed in. Linhardt was at least a minute late, but Byleth chose to let it slide this time. It was the first day, after all. 

Byleth’s chair scraped against the stone floor as he stood up at his desk, which got the entire class’ attention. He was usually rather passive, but he was forced to be the one in charge here. “Class, as I’m sure you’re all aware by now, I am Byleth Eisner, the new professor of the Black Eagles. I would start with introductions, but we already met each other yesterday. Today, we won’t have a lecture in the classroom.” Caspar pumped his fist at that. “Instead, we’ll be visiting the training grounds. Gather your things and follow me.” Most of the students had already gotten out notebooks and quills to take notes, so it took them a few moments to pack up.

Byleth picked up a notebook and quill himself. During the meeting, Manuela had advised him to use the first day to get to know his students and their fighting styles. What better way to do that than fighting them himself?

When the class arrived at the training grounds, they were luckily empty; Byleth hadn’t actually checked with the other professors before bringing his class here. He made a mental note to do that next time. When all of the students had put their bags down, he spoke again. “Today, I’ll be assessing your fighting abilities.” Byleth heard a small whine. He couldn’t tell who it was from, but it was reasonable to assume that Bernadetta was the culprit. “I’d like to face each of you one-on-one today. I’m not very competent in magic, though, so those duels will be more like a game of keep-away. Any questions?"

Linhardt raised his hand. "Actually, professor, I specialize in healing. Do I need to fight you as well?"

To Byleth's understanding, even healers were generally taught how to defend themselves. "Do you know any attack magic?"

"Ah, well... yes."

"Then use what you have. If there is no chance for you to demonstrate your healing this class period, I'll find another way to assess you later."

Linhardt looked a little dejected, but said nothing more.

"If there are no other questions, we can start now." Byleth paused, but no one asked anything else. "Any volunteers to go first?"

Edelgard's hand rose immediately, followed quickly by Ferdinand's. He immediately put his hand back down, though, after realizing Edelgard had been faster. For a simple hand raise (or was it a race? Byleth wondered), he seemed very crestfallen.

Byleth started walking towards the training weapons, picking up a sword. He had already seen her fight, but he would learn a lot more if he fought her himself. "Edelgard, come get your weapon of choice. Everyone else, go to the viewing area." 

There was a shuffling of feet as the students cleared out of the arena. Hubert shot Byleth an odd glance, but he couldn't tell what it meant. Sothis piped up, “That one is rather odd. I wonder what types of thoughts go on in that head of his.”

Byleth wondered the same. Out of his whole class, Hubert was the hardest student to get a read on. _Maybe he is plotting my assassination._

Sothis huffed in amusement. “Do not think so highly of yourself, human. I doubt that you have already become important enough to him for that. Ah, pay attention. That girl seems to be ready for battle.”

Byleth looked up to see Edelgard standing at the opposite side of the arena. He tested the training sword's weight; it seemed properly balanced. "Take your time, but attack me whenever you're ready."

Edelgard twirled the training axe in her hands a couple of times, presumably to get used to its weight, before settling into a battle stance. Byleth raised his sword, patiently waiting. Right when he started to wonder if she would move, she dashed straight at him.

She held her axe low, which was an unusual way to start. To Byleth, it projected her intentions as clear as day, and he stepped back to avoid a low sweep at his knees. To her credit, she recovered quickly; instead of backing up like he expected, she twisted her weapon up in an arc towards his torso. It collided with his sword before he even had the chance to go on the offensive.

She didn't give him any room to breathe. Frankly, her swings were terrifying; experiencing her strength firsthand was much different than seeing it from afar. He felt his muscles almost reach their limit every time he parried her axe. Sometimes, she rode the momentum of her swings naturally, but, other times, she abruptly changed the direction of her weapon with a speed that only her unnatural strength would allow. 

She caught him by surprise a couple of times, but he never made a fatal mistake. Just before one of her attacks landed, he forced his sword forward so their weapons would ricochet.

As their weapons bounced off of each other, Edelgard jumped back to disengage. Byleth immediately followed her, however, and slashed with his sword. Edelgard parried, forced on the defensive.

Byleth continued his onslaught, mixing slashes with jabs. He prioritized speed over accuracy to try to overwhelm her. She defended well, but it didn't seem like she could spot any openings to attack.

So, he purposely left one for her. He let his sword stray a little too far from his chest, and she immediately took the chance to attack. She went for a mid-height, sideways swing at his undefended side, as expected.

Byleth let go of his sword and dropped his body to the ground. Using his hands to support himself, he kicked at her legs in a low sweep. Such a move might be considered unfair in a royal duel, but everything was fair game on the battlefield. She clearly didn't expect it and fell to the ground.

Byleth quickly pushed himself off of the ground, grabbing his sword and pointing it at Edelgard's throat. Once the defeat registered in her eyes, he lowered it, offering his other hand to her. "It was a good match."

Edelgard had a slightly bitter look on her face, but she swept it away immediately. She sighed, "You have bested me. Your thoughts?"

"We can go more in depth later, but you were predictable. You would benefit from striking not at the _first_ opportunity, but the best one."

Edelgard nodded, "I will take that into consideration, Professor." She walked back to the weapon rack and put her axe back in its spot rather roughly. She seemed annoyed at the loss, but Byleth hoped she’d get over it quickly.

Byleth turned back to the rest of the class. Bernadetta looked terrified after seeing their battle, but there was no helping it right now. Dorothea seemed to be comforting her as best she could. Byleth called out, "Ferdinand, did you want to go next? Grab your weapon."

"Yes, I would greatly enjoy that! Edelgard, I will show you how a true noble fights!"

Byleth looked at Edelgard curiously and saw her put her face in her hand. People did that a lot around Ferdinand, it seemed.

While Ferdinand prepared for their duel, Byleth picked up his notebook from the ledge of the arena and jotted down some quick notes.

> Edelgard 
> 
> Aggressive and opportunistic - predictable as a result. Combines traditional and unique techniques well, which somewhat makes up for the predictability. Should look into throwing axes.

Byleth made that last note while remembering how she threw her axe at Kostas during the bandit attack. With the right equipment, she could be deadly.

Seeing Ferdinand in the corner of his eye, he put the notebook back on the ledge. He once again readied his sword. "Attack me when you're ready."

Ferdinand put up a fight, but he didn’t hold out as long as Edelgard. Byleth was able to disarm him when he swung his lance too widely.

> Ferdinand 
> 
> Very confident in his abilities, which leads to less awareness in battle. Has a solid basis of lance skills, but needs to work on application.

Byleth thought that Ferdinand would benefit from real-world battle experience more than anything else. The upcoming mock battle wouldn’t be the best environment for that, but they would hopefully get a better opportunity for battle soon.

Dorothea was up next as the first magic-user. Since Byleth couldn’t use magic himself, they played the aforementioned game of keep-away. Byleth simply ran at her, dodging her magic the best he could to reach her. At first, her spells were strategically placed, but she seemed to get more nervous the closer he got, firing spells more randomly. It became much easier to dodge her spells, and he tapped her with his sword.

> Dorothea 
> 
> A skilled mage, but more emotional than the battlefield permits. May need to work on confidence before anything else.

Byleth couldn't say much about her magic itself; he decided to get Hanneman's opinion later.

Caspar volunteered next, donning a pair of training gauntlets. Byleth swapped his sword for gauntlets, as fighting hand-to-hand would be much more informative than fighting while taking advantage of his sword's reach. Caspar taunted him good-naturedly, "Good luck winning without your sword, professor!"

The match with Caspar was similar to Edelgard's in that it ended with the same low sweep to the legs. Caspar was not as skilled of a fighter as the others, but he learned quickly and used a couple of Byleth’s own moves against him before the end of the battle. Caspar smiled widely when he lost and loudly asked when they could duel again. Byleth assured him it would be soon.

> Caspar 
> 
> Does not have the same power or skill as the others, but is inventive and talented. Very spirited; should be good for morale.

Hubert went next, after complaining to Caspar about his yelling. During their duel, Byleth found his expression hard to read. He fired orbs of dark magic in complicated, varied patterns, and Byleth had some trouble weaving between them to get to him. Usually, Byleth was the one who was hard to read, not the other way around. Eventually, though, Byleth was able to reach him.

> Hubert 
> 
> Difficult to predict in battle. Has an eye for strategy, which may translate to larger battlefields, as well. Does not seem to get along well with the other students.

Petra walked into the arena with a sword. That was fortunate for Byleth, as he would probably be able to assess her the best. Her swordsmanship was good, but the unique way she mixed in flips and turns made her a strong opponent. Many of her sword swings were backed up by the powerful momentum of her acrobatics; she wasted some movement, but the power she gained from it was well worth the cost. Byleth eventually managed to take her down by catching her in a spin that lasted a moment too long.

> Petra 
> 
> Clearly did not receive the majority of her training in Fodlan. Has good instincts and makes up for her lack of strength with technique. Should work on cleaning up wasted movements.

Linhardt reluctantly volunteered himself with a sigh after seeing that the only other person left was Bernadetta. Despite all of his grumbling, he was surprisingly adept at attack magic. He launched wide blades of wind of varying sizes; they were translucent, so Byleth had a hard time discerning their exact width. This led to him getting a small scratch on his upper arm before he reached Linhardt. After their duel, Byleth asked Linhardt to heal the cut. He did so quickly and skillfully but had recoiled slightly at the sight of blood.

> Linhardt 
> 
> Skilled in both healing and attack magic. Capitalizes on his magic’s element well, but could not fire spells very rapidly. May benefit from increasing attack and healing range, since he is rather squeamish.

Bernadetta was last. At first she didn't move, but she eventually picked up a bow and arrows at Dorothea and Petra's urging and stood across from Byleth in the arena. As far as possible.

Sothis seemed amused. “A skittish one, is she not? She reminds me of a mouse more than an eagle.”

Byleth silently agreed.

Byleth put away his sword and got a bow and arrows himself. He wasn't the most skilled with a bow, but he was adequate. He thought he might scare her by running straight at her, so this was the alternative.

Bernadetta drew the bow, carefully aiming at Byleth. It looked to be in the right direction, but, the moment Byleth raised his own bow, she let out a loud squeak and the arrow flew far to his left. A little disappointing, but Byleth was determined to see her shoot clearly. 

She peered at him from under her hair, “Sorry, Professor.”

Byleth considered trying to look less intimidating, but he didn’t really know how. “It’s alright, just try again.” He lowered his bow. This was an assessment, after all; they could work on improving her weaknesses another day.

“A-alright.” 

Bernadetta reached for another arrow and drew her bow again. Her face looked remarkably focused for a brief moment, her eyes displaying none of the uncertainty they usually did as she let the arrow loose. Since the arrow was blunted, it simply bounced off of his armor, but he could tell it hit just above his heart.

He watched as she slowly lowered her bow. “That will be all. You did well, Bernadetta.”

“Uhm, thanks.” She ducked out of the arena, only to be stopped by the rest of the class as they entered.

> Bernadetta 
> 
> A very good shot with a bow, but her skill is overshadowed by her nervousness. Should focus on improving confidence drastically before attempting any other combat training.

Byleth looked at his small class. He felt like he knew each of them a little better now. He wasn't so good with words, but he felt that the best way to get a feel for someone was through a spar. 

"We'll be ending a little early today, but that concludes our first class. I'll have more planned for tomorrow. For homework, write a short self-assessment. Include your strengths, weaknesses, and anything else you want to work on. Any questions?"

A few shaking heads answered that. "Class dismissed."

* * *

The rest of the week went smoothly, and Byleth started hosting individual tutoring sessions in addition to his normal class period. In tutoring, he mostly taught practical skills and gave pointers, with the exception of Bernadetta. With her, he had faced her with a bow every day until she could shoot accurately while he held up a weapon. Unfortunately, that was the farthest they could get before the mock battle.

Notably, he brought up throwing axes to Edelgard at her first tutoring session. He had been worried that she would still be annoyed about losing to him in their duel, but she seemed to have gotten over it already.

_Byleth walked to the training grounds straight from the market, holding a brand-new hand axe. He had used some of his monthly teaching funds to buy it, but that was what the money was for, anyways._

_He entered the training grounds exactly at their planned meeting time, seeing Edelgard already there. He offered the hand axe to her, and she put out her hand to take it without thinking._

_She looked at the axe in her hand blankly for a moment before giving him a quizzical look. "What is this for, my teacher?"_

_"It's a hand axe. Are you trained in them?"_

_Some pride seeped into her voice. "Not exactly, but I'm sure I could get the hang of it quickly. Is this about what happened with the bandits?"_

_Byleth nodded his confirmation. "Yes. I believe you have the aptitude, if you want to learn."_

_Edelgard inspected the hand axe, twisting it around in her hand to see it from every angle. "It seems interesting. What would you have me do?"_

_"Practice it every day this week, and bring it to the mock battle with you if you feel confident enough. Using it in battle will be valuable experience. I'll show you the proper technique."_

Edelgard had proved a fast learner, and she had enough of the basics down to bring her hand axes (she had bought a second one herself) to the mock battle.

After a couple of class periods, Byleth had quickly realized that his class was not good at working together. He held some training specifically to improve teamwork, but they couldn't make much headway in a week. His class functioned as a team, but it was more patched together than anything.

For the mock battle itself, he was allowed to choose four students to fight with him. Edelgard was a given as the house leader, and Linhardt was essential as their only healer. Hubert was their offensive mage, and Ferdinand balanced out the front line with his lance.

His other students watched from the sidelines as he stood with his chosen four. "We've only known each other for a week, but I hope our efforts will pay off today. Give it your all, everyone."

Edelgard smiled. "I am sure that we will prevail. Especially with you, Professor."

Ferdinand brandished his spear. "Don't worry about carrying our weight, Professor. I will surely lead us to victory!"

Linhardt nodded. "You can go all out; I’ll just stay in the back.”

Hubert simply crossed his arms with a "Hmph," but he was smiling.

A horn signaled the start of the battle. Byleth faced the battlefield. "Get in your positions, everyone. We'll go on the offensive and crush them."

The students arranged themselves into the formation Byleth had discussed with them just a few minutes ago. He didn’t trust them to act as one cohesive unit, but he figured they could work well enough together in pairs. On the right, Edelgard was backed up by Hubert. They knew each other well and would be able to coordinate attacks. On the left were Ferdinand and Linhardt. Ferdinand would be the main attacker, and Linhardt would heal him to make up for any mistakes he made. Byleth was by himself in the middle of the formation, but he intended to stay away from combat unless he was needed. His students needed experience, after all.

The Black Eagles pushed forward, first toward the Golden Deer. Lorenz and Ignatz were the vanguard, with Claude and Hilda hiding behind a wooden barricade. As for Manuela, she stayed back in her house’s stronghold. She seemed to have the same idea that Byleth did, making her students work in pairs. She was playing defensively, however, while Byleth had decided on a completely offensive strategy.

His students had the advantage of numbers in this scenario, and Byleth expected them to easily defeat the vanguard. Hubert sent an orb of dark magic at Lorenz from afar, and Edelgard rushed forward to fight him. As they traded blows, Byleth could see Hubert preparing another spell. Hubert cast another spell at Edelgard’s back, and she quickly stepped to the side so it would hit Lorenz, who toppled over from the spell’s force. Byleth was impressed; he couldn’t tell how the two of them had coordinated that.

Ignatz, who held a bow, didn’t seem to be prepared for a melee opponent like Ferdinand. Ferdinand’s first swing grazed his torso, and Ferdinand went for another jab. Just as he did so, however, Byleth saw an arrow come flying over the barricade. He called out to Ferdinand, but the warning didn’t come soon enough. The arrow, which must have been fired by Claude, hit Ferdinand’s shoulder just as Ferdinand knocked down Ignatz.

Byleth ordered his class back, “Everyone, retreat out of Claude’s range. We’ll stop momentarily for Linhardt to heal Ferdinand.” With both of the other classes on the defensive, they could afford to take a short break.

Linhardt called back, “Got it.” He healed Ferdinand with no trouble; the arrows were blunted, so it was only a surface wound.

Claude was known for his schemes, so it was best to be cautious. Byleth warned his class, “They are probably preparing an ambush behind the barricade. Keep your guard up.” A chorus of nods told him that he’d been heard.

Byleth wanted to take the lead himself, as he could react to an ambush quickly. However, he wanted his students to be able to deal with it on their own, and he stayed in the rear of the formation. Edelgard, being the closest one to the barricade, was the most likely to be caught in an ambush, and she seemed to know it. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to spot the enemy. Hubert and Linhardt both prepared spells in their hands, ready to shoot at the enemy.

As the Black Eagles passed around the side of the barricade, Hilda leaped out from the bushes, her axe raised high above her head. Edelgard’s eyes widened in surprise, and she just barely managed to raise her axe in time to block Hilda’s heavy blow. Just as she did so, Hubert unleashed his prepared spell on Hilda. It hit her on her side, but she was healed immediately. Byleth was confused for a moment before he saw Manuela standing far behind her students. She must have casted a long-range healing spell.

Linhardt launched a blade of wind at the bushes; as it cut through them, it revealed Claude, who already had his bow drawn. He immediately released the arrow, which connected with Edelgard’s forearm. Ferdinand charged straight at him, probably hoping to overwhelm him at close range.

Byleth decided to let the students battle each other and ran straight at Manuela. His students would be fine on their own (although he worried about their teamwork), and it was only fitting for the two professors to battle each other. Manuela’s specialization in healing magic didn’t make her a very good close-range battler, though. She casted a few life-draining spells, which tired him out, but his movement was not hindered. He reached melee range with ease and she went down to a few swings of his sword.

Byleth turned around to check on his students only to see Claude go down to a spell from Hubert. Hilda was already on the ground, and Linhardt was working on healing Edelgard’s shoulder. He huffed. It seemed there was nothing to worry about, especially with how much they had outnumbered the enemy.

He regrouped with the Black Eagles, and they prepared to head to the Blue Lions. The Blue Lions hadn’t moved the entire battle; they simply stayed in their defensive formation around their stronghold. Byleth guessed that their strategy was to let the other two houses fight and then defeat the remaining house while it was exhausted; it was a good plan, since the goal of the mock battle was simply to be the last house standing.

Byleth signaled his class to crouch in the bushes for a strategy meeting, as the Blue Lions would be a tough nut to crack. Again, they could afford to take their time since the enemy was on the defensive. “I want to plan what we are doing beforehand, since they aren’t as spread out as the Golden Deer were. Linhardt, Hubert, aim both of your spells at Dedue as soon as we engage. I don’t want to give Mercedes the chance to heal him.” Both boys in question nodded the affirmative, although neither of them did so very energetically. “Edelgard, can you hold your own against Dimitri? I’d like to take out the back line before dealing with him.”

“Yes, I would say that he is about my equal in skill. I should be able to distract him as long as necessary.”

“Good. Hubert, once Dedue is down, assist Edelgard. Linhardt, use your own judgement to assist wherever it is needed. Ferdinand, we will work together to destroy their back line. Does anyone have any questions?”

“Who will take priority in the back line?” Ferdinand asked.

“Mercedes. Taking out their healer will put us at an advantage.”

No one else had anything to say, so Byleth signaled everyone to stand up and get back into formation. The Blue Lions hadn’t moved an inch that entire time and were still in their defensive formation. It had probably been hard to stand still while the enemy planned against them only a small distance away. They were disciplined, to say the least.

The moment the Black Eagles were in range, Dimitri and Dedue charged forward, as expected. Dedue was instantly taken out by Hubert and Linhardt’s magic, and Edelgard clashed weapons with Dimitri. Edelgard challenged him to keep his attention, “Dimitri... it’s time! We can finally settle the question of who’s stronger.”

Byleth couldn’t hear Dimitri’s reply, as he had run past to charge the back line with Ferdinand. The two of them immediately rushed Mercedes, with Ferdinand approaching from the front and Byleth on the flank. Ferdinand swung his lance in a wide sweep just as he got into range. Mercedes managed to dodge by jumping backwards, but Byleth took advantage of her distraction to swing his sword at her stomach, taking her out.

Byleth decided that he should face Hanneman himself. He quickly told Ferdinand, “Take care of Ashe,” and they split up to deal with their respective targets. Before either of them reached their target, however, Byleth saw Hanneman launch a wind spell at their back line. Following the magic with his eyes, he saw Linhardt get hit by the spell and one of Ashe’s arrows at the same time. His healer was down as well, then.

Ferdinand reached Ashe just after he let the arrow loose. He seemed to be fighting a lot of archers today. While Ignatz had been easily overwhelmed in close combat, Ashe was quicker on his feet. He drew out a short sword after dodging Ferdinand’s first attack, and he seemed to be doing a good job at avoiding all of Ferdinand’s attacks. Byleth was a little worried, but Ferdinand would be on his own until someone was free to assist him.

Hanneman was an offensive mage, but Byleth knew that he wouldn’t do very well in close combat, just like Manuela. Hanneman sweeped out a hand as Byleth approached, summoning a constellation of bright lights in front of himself. Byleth lunged to the side to avoid the lights as they beamed towards him, but there were simply too many and he got hit in the arm by a couple of them. Byleth reached the edge of the stronghold and rose from his half-crouch to swing his sword at Hanneman. Byleth’s sword connected just a moment before Hanneman could prepare his next spell, earning Byleth the victory.

Byleth turned around to check on the battle and saw Dimitri defeated on the ground. Edelgard and Hubert were both still standing, but Hubert stood back while Edelgard moved to help Ferdinand. Byleth assumed Hubert had run out of spells, then. Ashe lunged at Ferdinand with his shortsword only to be parried, and he jumped back quickly to avoid Ferdinand’s lance. Edelgard took that opportunity to throw a hand axe at him, and it hit him squarely in the chest, taking him down. With that, the match had officially ended. The Black Eagles had won.

Jeralt announced that the Black Eagles were victorious, and his students cheered. Church healers arrived to heal anyone who needed it, but most students had sustained only large bruises from the blunted weapons. As Byleth scanned the area, he saw Dorothea, Bernadetta, Petra, and Caspar running into the battlefield from the sidelines to celebrate with their class. A church healer revived Linhardt, and he joined the rest of the class, too. 

Dorothea patted Edelgard gently on the back. “I saw you land the killing blow, Edie. Good job, even if it _was_ a little terrifying.”

Caspar chimed in, “Yeah, it was so cool! Where did you learn to throw axes like that?”

Edelgard smiled a little pridefully. “I actually only learned this week. Professor Byleth showed me the basics.”

Caspar beamed in excitement. “The professor taught you that? Do you think he would teach me, too?”

Petra crossed her arms. “I am sure that he would if you asked. However, would wearing your gauntlets not give you difficulty while throwing?” She frowned in thought. “I am not certain that it would work.”

Caspar slumped down a little. “You’re probably right, Petra.”

The students continued their friendly banter until Jeralt announced that they needed to leave for the monastery. Byleth didn't join in on the excitement, but seeing the smiles on their faces brought him a bit of joy. Maybe teaching really was a good job for him.

* * *

After the mock battle and a well-deserved dinner, Edelgard took a walk around the monastery. Hubert was usually with her for the majority of the day, but she always took these walks in solitude. They were a chance to clear her mind after a busy day.

This week had been... interesting, to say the least. Kostas had done his job of scaring away her previous cowardly professor, but it had led to some very unexpected results. Kostas had tried to kill her against his orders, for one; she had been saved by a mercenary that just happened to be passing through. What was even more surprising was that the mercenary had become her professor. She had been sure that the church would appoint Jeritza, who she had more control over, to the position, but Rhea had chosen to make Byleth the professor instead.

It was only a small hitch in her plans, but it irked her nonetheless. She had to admit, though, that her new professor was rather curious. He had bested her in battle so easily (to her annoyance); she wondered what else he was capable of.

Edelgard did her best to clear her thoughts by focusing on the scenery. Everything seemed to be the same as usual. The sky had become a mix of warm and cool colors as the sun sank slowly towards the horizon. Students and faculty were sparse, as classes were over, but many guards still patrolled the monastery. The gatekeeper called his customary greeting as she passed, "Good evening, Lady Edelgard! Nothing to report."

She gave him a polite smile in return. "Good evening to you, as well."

There were still shoppers in the market, but their numbers were beginning to dwindle. Edelgard continued down a walled path toward the docks, which were usually empty.

To her surprise, there was a figure sitting at the end of the platform with a fishing pole in his hand. It didn't take long for her to realize that it was Byleth, her new professor.

She could only see a side profile of his face, but he looked peaceful. She couldn't help but stare; it was the closest thing to a facial expression she had ever seen him make. The sunset bathed his cerulean hair in a spectrum of yellows and pinks, and the usual darkness of his clothing was softened by the light.

A sudden movement from his fishing pole snapped her out of her reverie with a jolt, and she realized that she was staring. Her face heated slightly in her own embarrassment. She watched as he tugged on the pole, pulling the fish free of the water and reeling it in with an ease that could only come from years of practice. He dropped the fish in a nearby bucket before casting the line again.

Edelgard realized she had been standing in the same spot for a while now. Not wanting to disturb him, she crept quietly across the pavement to get back to the dorms. It was odd; she assumed that, as a former mercenary, he would feel most at home on the battlefield. However, she had seen him on the battlefield before, and he had never looked so _human._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all,  
> This chapter is a lot longer than the others, but it honestly has the same amount of content. Combat just takes a lot of words to describe, lol.
> 
> Speaking of combat, the mock battles in this game confuse the hell out of me. They're not actually using real weapons against each other, right? Do they actually injure each other during mock battles? If they don't, how do they decide when someone is considered "out?" These are all questions I have thought about way too much while writing this chapter. Also, I didn't realize how difficult battles are to write until now; I'm not quite sure how to make them interesting.
> 
> I had a bit too much fun writing the little Edeleth bits. Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.
> 
> Anyways, enough of my rambling. Until next time!


	4. A Real Battle

Harpstring Moon

-oOo-

On his way to the dining hall for breakfast, Byleth ran into Sylvain outside the dorm building. Byleth intended to simply nod as a greeting, but Sylvain called out, “Hey, Professor!”

“Good morning, Sylvain.”

Sylvain waved for him to come closer before speaking, “Garreg Mach is such a wonderful place, is it not? There are so many cute girls here!”

Byleth just gave him an odd look.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Everywhere you look, there are beautiful girls as far as the eye can see! I’m so glad I came to this academy.” At Byleth’s continued silence, Sylvain sighed. “You don’t need to hold back just because you’re a professor. You’re basically the same age as the rest of us, anyways. Have you taken any cute girls to the dining hall yet?”

Byleth thought back to last week, when he went to get sweet buns with Edelgard after their tour. “I suppose so.”

Sylvain’s smile grew wider, “I didn’t know you were such a player, Professor! Keep it up, and I might even have some competition.” He winked.

Byleth wasn’t exactly sure what the “competition” was really about, although he did have a vague idea. He heard Sothis giggle in his mind at his ignorance, but he opted to ignore it. “I’ll be sure to invite more people to eat in the future, then.”

Sylvain laughed, “That’s the spirit!” He paused for a moment. “Oh yeah, Dedue wanted someone to tell you about the greenhouse. It’s a great way to get flowers and herbs for cheap, but it’s a lot of work. I’m not an expert on that sort of thing, though; you should talk to Dedue yourself if you see him. I think he’s actually around here somewhere right now.”

“Thank you, I’ll do that.”

Sylvain waved as Byleth left. “See you around, Professor!” Byleth waved back.

Sylvain was an odd one. He was definitely friendly, but Byleth got the feeling that his easy cheer was not entirely genuine. Sothis commented, “He probably acts so friendly to pick up girls.”

_He seems to have friends in the Blue Lions, so it can’t all be an act._

“That is true, but have you seen him interact with them? Every student in that class seems to take some sort of issue with him.” Byleth had nothing to say to that.

Byleth headed toward the greenhouse, coincidentally finding Dedue on the way there. Dedue gave him a small bag of seeds to grow in the greenhouse, so he headed there right after.

There was a woman standing outside the greenhouse who had the look of a mercenary. Her indigo hair was cut into a pragmatic shoulder-length cut, and her clothes balanced practicality and fashion in that odd way most mercenaries’ clothes did. She wore a practical jacket, pants, and boots, but she also wore a large choker and only a single shoulder pad. There was a quiver strapped to her belt and a bow slung across her back.

It was odd, seeing such a person at the monastery. When she spotted him, she crossed her arms and nodded in acknowledgement. Byleth nodded back and walked silently past. It was nice to find someone who was on the same page as him.

Byleth pushed open the doors of the greenhouse. It was empty save for Bernadetta in the back and Mercedes by the entrance. Mercedes noticed him immediately, “Greetings, Professor!” She spoke quietly, as to not disturb Bernadetta.

He kept his voice low, as well. “Hello, Mercedes.”

“Are you here to do some gardening? I was just about to leave, but I wouldn’t mind helping you get started.”

Byleth held up the bag of seed he got from Dedue. “I already have seeds and directions from Dedue. Thanks for the offer, though.”

Mercedes pressed her hands together. “Oh, wonderful! Dedue can be so sweet sometimes.”

Byleth suddenly realized that he could hear humming. It wasn’t coming from Mercedes, so he looked toward Bernadetta. She was watering the plants while humming to herself, taking extra care when she got to the section for exotic plants. She seemed much happier than she did in class. It was probably because there were no people or battles around.

Mercedes followed his gaze. “Ah, isn’t it great to see her look so relaxed? She is always so shy, so these moments are always sweet to see. I wish she would come out of her room more.”

Byleth had recently learned that Bernadetta was what people called a ‘recluse.’ Apparently, she was known for hiding in her room with her hobbies. “Yeah.”

Mercedes smiled at him, “I hope you can find everything you need, Professor. I’ll take my leave now.” She departed with a small wave.

Byleth wanted to plant the seeds from Dedue, but he was hesitant to disturb Bernadetta. He quietly found an empty spot in the garden and buried the seeds under a thin layer of soil. The next thing he needed to do was water them, but Bernadetta had the watering can.

The only way he would water his plants any time soon was if he spoke up. “Bernadetta, can I borrow that watering can for a moment?”

Predictably, Bernadetta jumped, and some water sloshed out of the top of the can and spilled on the ground. “Professor! I... uh- yeah! Take it, I’m done with it anyways.” She quickly passed him the watering can before retreating to the nearest wall. Byleth was surprised that she didn’t dash outside immediately.

“Thank you, I’ll put it away once I’m done.” Byleth put himself to work, drizzling his seeds with the appropriate amount of water.

After a few long moments of silence, Bernadetta spoke up, “Do you like gardening, Professor?”

Byleth kept his attention on his watering. “Not particularly, but Dedue from the Blue Lions encouraged me to learn.”

From the corner of his eye, he could see her shift her weight from side to side. “A-ah, I see. Well, I know a lot about it, so you can ask me about it if you want. I’m gonna go to my room now, though, so you’ll have to knock on my door. See you!” She rushed out of the greenhouse.

Byleth finished up and put the watering can with the other gardening tools. That was better than before, at least.

* * *

The next day, Byleth was summoned by Rhea around noon for his class’ first assignment. She ordered him to eliminate the bandits led by Kostas, as some of them had gotten away during the attack a week before. The last sighting of them had confirmed that they retreated to Zanado, the Red Canyon, so he would bring his class there before the end of the month.

As Byleth exited the building, he saw Jeralt, who was walking down one of the outdoor hallways. “Father.”

Jeralt stopped and looked up, and his eyes widened in surprise before he smiled, “Hey, kid. Did you just get your assignment from Rhea?”

“Yeah. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten an assignment with the knights yet.”

Jeralt sighed. “They gave me this week and last week to settle in, but I’m supposed to receive my assignment from Rhea later today. Oh, I’m going to the dining hall if you want to join me.”

Byleth nodded and fell into step beside Jeralt. “Will I not be seeing you after today?”

“Probably not, at least for a while. I’ll be leaving with the knights tomorrow morning for whatever this assignment is.”

Byleth was a little disappointed to hear that. “It will be odd being separated from you. I guess I’ll need to get used to it.”

Jeralt grinned and patted his back, “I’m sure you’ll be fine, kid. You have your class to occupy you now, too.”

“That is true.”

“Speaking of your class, how has the teaching life been treating you? Good, I’d hope?”

“It has been going well. Manuela and Hanneman have been helping me out a lot, which has eased the transition.” Byleth looked at Jeralt with a deadpan expression. “Especially since, before this, I had no teaching experience whatsoever.”

Jeralt chuckled, recognizing the little joke for what it was. “Yeah, still not sure what Rhea was thinking. Woman is a mystery for sure. What about the students, though? Have they been giving you any trouble?”

Byleth tilted his head in thought before replying. “A couple of them, Linhardt and Hubert, are sometimes a little unenthusiastic, but I can tell that they all want to learn.” The idea that Hubert truly wanted to learn at the academy was debatable, but Byleth left that part out. “Bernadetta is very timid, but the other students care about her a lot. I’m sure that she’ll break out of her shell in time. Caspar, Ferdinand, and Petra are all very passionate about training, so they balance the others out well. Dorothea is kind, and Edelgard is reliable. They have all been improving greatly even in just this first week; I’m sure they’ll all do great on the assignment this month.” In the time Byleth had been talking, the two of them had arrived at the dining hall and gotten in line.

Jeralt regarded Byleth curiously. “I didn’t think you’d warm up to them so quickly. I’m happy for you, kid.” At Byleth’s questioning look, he continued, “I don’t remember the last time I heard you talk so much about a topic without being specifically asked. I guess you care about them already, huh?”

Byleth thought for a moment. “I suppose I do. I hope that they do well on the assignment, anyways.”

Jeralt grabbed a plate and silverware, Byleth doing the same. “Well, that’s a start, at least.” There was a pause in the conversation as the kitchen workers dished out food (which was some sort of fish saute) and the two of them found a table to sit at. Once they were settled, Jeralt continued, “For some of those kids, it will be their first time in battle, right? I hope that they won’t be too troubled getting their first kills.”

The notion that it would be some of his students’ first battle took Byleth by surprise. Truthfully, the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. Byleth’s first kill had been when he was thirteen, on the first job that Jeralt let him participate in. Even before that, he had seen Jeralt kill dozens of enemies during jobs with their mercenary company. Killing had always been a part of his life; it was odd to him that some of his students were approaching 20 and still hadn’t seen battle. “Ah, I hadn’t even thought about that. Should I be worried?”

Jeralt shook his head. “No, I’m sure they will be fine for the most part, but keep your eye out for them. Some of them have already seen battle, but some of them haven’t. They might not take it well, and you’ll need to be the person to help them through it.”

Byleth wasn’t sure that he could do much to comfort them, but he would try the best he could. He took his job as a professor seriously, after all. “I’ll do my best.”

“Good. That’s all I can ask.”

Byleth considered bringing up Sothis or Jeralt’s past with Rhea, but he figured that they already had enough serious conversation for one meal. The rest of their meal was filled with slightly lighter conversation until they eventually had to part ways.

* * *

Byleth was worried about bringing his students to battle after the conversation with his father; some of them seemed especially unprepared. Sothis assured him, “It will be fine; they are all strong. Some of them are probably very experienced as well, just like that future emperor.”

It comforted him a little, but he still worried.

The student he was most concerned about was Bernadetta due to her timidness, but he was also sure that she would run away at the first sign of danger, which would keep her safe. They had also been making progress every week in their individual training sessions, so there was not much more he could do before the end of the month.

So, he turned to the other student he was worried about: Dorothea. She was certainly talented, and Manuela had informed him that she had a natural eye for magic. However, she did not have a very tight reign on her emotions, and he thought that it might cause trouble in a fight to the death. He decided to work on it with her as soon as he could.

Byleth brought it up to her during one of their individual training sessions. He decided that they would play another game of keep-away, since it had exposed her weakness very clearly last time.

Byleth ran at her from the other side of the arena, barely dodging the bolts of lightning she created with her magic. She could only cast a few spells before getting tired out, but she knew her limits well and conserved her magic while placing her spells strategically in the arena. However, as Byleth got closer, her magic became more frantic. She threw spells at him in quick succession with no rhyme or reason, and she ran out of stamina before he was even within the swinging distance of his sword. Byleth easily tapped her with the blade, just like their first day of training as a class.

“Dorothea, why does your confidence slip so easily? You could’ve had me there if you didn’t drain yourself so quickly.” He only realized his lack of tact after he had already said the words. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Dorothea took it in stride, replying with a smile.

“A little blunt there, Professor. You won’t be very popular with the ladies if you keep this up.” She tiredly winked before her face fell. “You truly don’t know, though? I am the only commoner in the Black Eagle house. I feel like I don’t really belong here with all of these royalty and big shots. I try not to let it get to me, but it’s difficult to keep my resolve in stressful moments like that, especially knowing how strong you are. Seeing everyone else’s strength only makes me doubt my own.” She was the type of person who was usually smiling, but she now wore a more forlorn look. “I’m just a songstress, after all,” she added.

Her outlook confused Byleth. Royalty weren’t any more talented than anyone else. “Your political standing has nothing to do with your ability. I’ve seen it myself; your magic is powerful when you aren’t worrying. You said I was strong, and keep in mind that I’m a commoner too.”

At that last remark, the corner of her quirked up a little. “That’s true, but controlling your emotions is more easily said than done, Professor. You’re right, though. I’ll do my best to overcome this. Maybe one day, your strength will bolster my own instead of discouraging it.” She stepped back into a battle stance. “I’m rested up now, so we can try again.”

Their interaction had been more than a little awkward, but Byleth supposed that it still turned out well. He walked back to the other side of the arena before running at her again. She held out a little longer than last time, and he was sure she would improve even more.

* * *

The end of the month quickly came, and it was soon time for Byleth to take his class to the Red Canyon. They traveled by foot, since the canyon wasn’t too far away. He led them in silence, but class bickered on the way there.

He could hear Bernadetta’s high-pitched voice come from the back of the group. “S-so, are we really going to have to kill the bandits?”

Petra spoke confidently, “Yes, but do not have worry about the killing. If we are not killing them, they will be killing us instead.” Byleth could tell that her tone was meant to be reassuring, but her phrasing was anything but.

Bernadetta squeaked. “They are going to kill us!?”

Caspar, who was walking in front with Byleth, twisted around to reply. “That’s just how it goes, Bernadetta! I can’t wait to beat up these guys for messing with people from our school!”

Hubert scoffed from his spot next to Edelgard. “You would do well not to take them so lightly. They may be mere trash, but that sort of attitude may very well get you killed.”

Byleth could see Caspar physically recoil a little bit. “Woah, man, I’m just getting fired up. You don’t need to be so serious.”

Hubert just replied with a “Hmm.”

Edelgard spoke next. “That being said, I am a little concerned. After all, if it weren’t for the professor, their leader would’ve gotten the jump on me when the bandits attacked last month.”

Dorothea sounded concerned, “It’s odd, isn’t it? Why were we the ones sent on this mission? I feel like any other class would’ve been a better choice.”

When Ferdinand replied, his voice was slightly louder than everyone else's, “Well, I surely would’ve made up for Edelgard’s lack of awareness,” Byleth could’ve sworn he heard a sigh from Edelgard’s general direction, “but it is a rather odd choice, indeed.”

“Well, it was not only me that was attacked; the other house leaders were, as well. I just happened to be the one that the bandit leader focused on.”

Linhardt said, “I guess it isn’t too weird, then. Professor, did the Archbishop say anything about why she chose our class?”

Byleth glanced back at him to reply, “No, she never mentioned anything and I didn’t ask. The thought hadn’t even occurred to me until now.”

“That is unfortunate.” Petra responded.

Their walk continued for another half an hour or so, and the flat dirt path was eventually replaced with rocky crags and the ruins of stone-brick buildings. Upon seeing the ruins, Byleth assumed that they must be in the right place.

Sothis announced herself with a yawn. “You are simply guessing whether we have arrived at the correct location? Have we never been here before?”

_What do you mean? Of course I’ve never been here before._

That seemed to wake Sothis up fully. “Is that truly so? That is rather odd... I think that I may have memories of this place.”

What Sothis was saying was absurd; he had never been here before, and she hadn’t woken up until about a month ago. _How is that possible? You’ve been with me the whole time._

“I don’t know. It must be before I was with you, whenever that was. I’m not sure; the memories are all hazy. Any moment I try to grasp them, they slip through my fingers like sand.” She paused for a moment, contemplating. “Oh, I just remembered! Since you will soon be taking the children into battle, I’ll let you use Divine Pulse, my power to rewind time. Be careful, though; I suspect that you will only be able to use it a few times before becoming tired.”

_Thanks, Sothis. I’ll only use it if absolutely necessary._ Byleth decided that he would only ever use it if one of his students died. He would regret using it for anything smaller if he ran out of Divine Pulses too soon.

“Good decision. You would not be wise to take this power lightly.”

_Well, I need to focus on my assignment, but you should do your best to remember about this place in the meantime._

Byleth couldn’t see Sothis at the moment, but he could clearly imagine her putting her hands on her hips in indignation. “Hey! Do not order me around, mortal! I may be in your body, but you are not the one in charge here.” She seemed angry at the dismissal.

Byleth hummed noncommittally, which only seemed to fuel her tantrum. Byleth turned back to his class, “We’re here. From now on, keep your guards up. The bandits could be hiding anywhere.”

Byleth deliberately slowed the pace so his class would have more time to react if they saw the bandits. The red canyon, or Zanado, as it was more formerly called, wasn’t red at all. The entire landscape was mostly gray, except for some dirt and the sparse green plants sprouting out from cracks in the stone path. Even the ruins of the city’s buildings were built out of gray, stone brick. The uniformity of the place was almost tiring to look at; the monotony was only broken by the crags and gorges that disrupted the otherwise flat ground.

As Byleth observed the area, he noticed a man dart out from behind one of the buildings, running away too quickly for any of them to catch up. Petra whispered urgently, “Professor.”

Byleth acknowledged her warning with a nod. “I noticed it too. I guess we’ve already been found out. They’ll probably wait for us in a defensible location.”

Byleth knew where they should be going now, at least, since the man would presumably lead them to Kostas and the rest of the bandit gang. They still kept at a slow pace so they wouldn’t be caught by surprise. After some walking, the group came across an area rather isolated from the rest of the ruins. Byleth noted that the narrow bridges connecting the rocky platforms would make this location a rather advantageous location to defend; his suspicions were proved correct when he spotted two bandits guarding the first bridge.

Byleth spoke to his class, keeping his eyes trained on the bandits in case they decided to move. “There they are. Is everyone ready?”

There were silent nods all around. Remarkably, Byleth didn’t even hear a squeak from Bernadetta.

“Let’s head out, then. Follow my lead.”

Byleth motioned his class to follow him and crept closer until they reached what Byleth judged to be within Bernadetta’s range. He took extra care to hide behind the rubble of the ruins, so the two on the bridge hadn’t spotted them yet. “Bernadetta, can you make the first shot? Petra, you should get ready as well.” Petra had only just started learning the bow recently, but she’d be able to make the shot if the bandits got close enough.

Bernadetta slowly nodded, drawing her bow while still hidden behind one of the stone walls. She cautiously peered out, and, after confirming the bandits couldn’t see her, carefully aimed her bow and released a lone arrow.

The arrow soared through the air for a moment before burying itself in the throat of one of the bandits. He backpedaled in shock, only to fall right off the bridge. Byleth was rather glad for that; the body would’ve been gruesome for Bernadetta to look at.

Bernadetta let out the breath she must have been holding. “I... I did it. Deep breaths, Bernie, deep breaths.”

Byleth was proud of her, but there was still much more to come. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Good job. Stay alert, everyone, the other one is coming.”

The other bandit from the bridge ran toward them, brandishing an axe; Byleth could also hear battle cries from the rest of the bandits further back. The real battle had begun, then.

Petra let an arrow loose, but she missed; the movement of a running target had proven too much for her. Edelgard and Ferdinand dashed out to meet the bandit and quickly took him down as a team. Their group training seemed to be paying off.

Byleth led his class on a dash across the bridge; they couldn’t afford to get bottlenecked at the entrance. The moment they crossed, there were two swordsmen and an archer ready to meet them. Byleth took on one of the swordsmen himself, easily outspeeding her and stabbing her through the chest. Dorothea and Hubert both aimed powerful spells at the other swordsmen, and he was killed instantly. It was suddenly apparent to Byleth how much the spellcasters had been holding back during the mock battle; at full force, there would’ve been permanent injuries.

Caspar charged at the archer with a yell, and Petra backed him up. Caspar’s yell wasn’t enough to distract the archer, though, and an arrow tore through Hubert’s leg. Caspar knocked the archer down, and Petra quickly finished the job with her blade. 

Linhardt seemed to have healed Hubert from afar, if Hubert’s suddenly normal posture and remark of “Unexpected,” were any indicator. Byleth knew Linhardt would only be able to heal from a distance a couple more times, since he had only been practicing for a couple weeks.

Byleth’s eyes quickly darted around the battlefield, trying to assess the situation as quickly as possible. There were two bridges leading to the main platform on which Kostas and his core group of followers were gathered. One bridge was obviously the “main” one, and it was guarded by both an axeman and a sniper. The other was more out of the way, only guarded by a single axe-user. It was also further away from Kostas. That side could probably be handled by only a couple of his students.

Edelgard came up beside him. “I think we should take advantage of the terrain for a pincer attack.”

Byleth turned his head briefly to acknowledge her. “I agree. Take care of that side with Hubert, and I’ll go with the others across the other bridge.”

“Understood.” Edelgard jogged to Hubert and murmured something to him before they both rushed to the far bridge.

Byleth inspected the rest of his students to make sure none of them had been hurt without him noticing. Thankfully, everyone was currently uninjured. “We’ll go to the other bridge, and catch Kostas in the middle. Let’s move.”

Petra took it upon herself to sneak close to the bridge and fire her bow at the sniper guarding it. This time, she fired two arrows and quick succession, both of them hitting their target. Ferdinand and Caspar engaged the axeman at the entrance of the bridge, while Byleth went past them to the other side. He didn’t want any bandits taking his students by surprise. He heard a spell along with a yelp, and he assumed that Dorothea had finished off the axeman. A quick glance to the other bridge revealed that Edelgard and Hubert had successfully taken out the guard there, too.

There were a lot more bandits on the final platform, making it harder for Byleth to keep track of the battle. An assassin dashed out to attack Dorothea in the backline, but Dorothea managed to keep her cool and ended up killing the assassin herself. Bernadetta fired arrows from far behind, making the bandits go into disarray.

Byleth worked with Ferdinand and Caspar to hold a semblance of a frontline while Dorothea, Bernadetta, and Linhardt did their best to take out the enemies. Petra weaved through the attackers, slashing them as she went. One of the swordsmen managed to stab her in the side, but Byleth used his sword to slash his neck while Linhardt quickly healed her injury. The battle was chaotic, but his class eventually managed to clear out the entire group.

It quickly became apparent to Byleth that Edelgard and Hubert had made it to Kostas much faster than the main group had, since there were only a few enemies in their way. Remembering what had happened to Edelgard last time, Byleth intended to join them as quickly as he could.

* * *

Edelgard hadn’t expected to plow through the bandit goons so quickly, but they were rather weak. She was on full alert this time, and she knew she could trust Hubert’s backup without worrying.

She looked to the other side of the battlefield, where her professor and the rest of her class were still fighting a group of bandits. It seemed she had enough time to battle Kostas herself, if she wanted. She spoke just loud enough to be heard, “Hubert.”

“Yes, my lady?”

“Come with me; we will kill Kostas now, while everyone else is still battling. I have something I want to say to him.” She hadn’t forgotten that Kostas had directly disobeyed her orders the month before.

She glanced at Hubert, only to see an amused smile on his face. “As you wish. This will be rather interesting.” He chuckled under his breath.

Edelgard made a small motion with her hand, and they rushed at Kostas at the same time. Hubert fired a Miasma into Kostas’ chest, knocking him over. It was up to Edelgard to finish him off.

Edelgard kept her axe raised for a moment, staring at Kostas’ face, which was scrunched up in anger. She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a low voice, “You did your job decently, but you went against orders. You wouldn’t do well to attack your _employer_.” She put emphasis on that last word so he would get the point.

Kostas looked confused for a split second before his eyes widened, his entire face contorting in horror. “Wait, you’re the Fl-” was all he could say before her axe swung down on his neck. She never enjoyed killing, but this kill definitely didn’t bother her as much as the others. She wiped the blood off of her axe with his clothes and motioned for Hubert to join her as she reunited with the others.

* * *

Byleth had meant to help Edelgard and Hubert, but it seemed that this time was much different than before. Hubert sent an orb of dark magic straight into Kostas’ chest, and Edelgard rushed in, raising her axe. To Byleth’s confusion, she kept it raised for a few more seconds, and Kostas looked horrified for a moment before she killed him.

He couldn’t see Edelgard’s expression from where he was; he wondered what she had done to make Kostas so afraid. Maybe he was just afraid of death?

Sothis commented, “How curious that she didn’t finish him off right away. It seems that she can be a little cruel if she wants to be.”

Byleth thought that Sothis’ wording was a little harsh, but he had no way to disprove what she said. _Perhaps. I wonder what happened over there._

Byleth called for his class to meet back up, and they started on the trek back to Garreg Mach after a short break. He was glad that he hadn’t needed to use Divine Pulse today, but he surely would need to in the future. His students were lucky that their first opponents were so disorganized and weak, but it would not always be so easy.

That being said, he could tell how tough today was on a lot of his students. Dorothea was frowning, Bernadetta hid her face behind her hair, and Caspar was very obviously forcing a brave expression. Even Ferdinand, who usually boasted to fill the silence, didn’t speak. The air was solemn, devoid of their usual banter. Byleth didn’t try to start any conversation; taking the life of another was a difficult thing to process, and his students would need a little bit of time.

* * *

Two days later, Byleth found himself spending another evening at the docks. From what he could see in class, his students seemed to have mostly made peace with what happened with the Red Canyon, but he figured it would take more than a couple of days to heal. He had let them out early today, and thought that he deserved a break too.

As he turned around to put down his tackle box, he noticed Edelgard slowly walking by on the pier. She was watching him; she seemed interested in what he was doing. “Edelgard.”

She jumped a little before replying, “Oh, hello, my teacher. Are you out fishing again?”

Byleth tilted his head to the side. “Again?”

Edelgard looked a little sheepish. “I’ve seen you out here before. I sometimes take walks in the evenings.” She walked a little closer to the dock, as having a conversation so far away had been getting a little awkward.

“I see. Did you want to learn?”

“Fishing? Ah, I would love to, but...” She trailed off.

“But?”

She looked down, seemingly considering something. “The water just makes me a little nervous. I, uh, can’t swim.” It was suddenly very apparent to Byleth that she was still standing at the edge of the dock, not actually on it.

Byleth shifted his weight to his other leg. “All right. I’ll be here if you change your mind.”

There was a moment of silence before Edelgard spoke up, “Actually, can I just sit with you? It’s only a lake, and I would like to try to conquer this fear.”

Her face was a little _too_ serious when she talked about conquering fears, to the amusement of Byleth. “Yeah, that’s fine. I can walk you over here, if you want.”

Edelgard nodded. “I’d like that.”

Byleth crossed the short distance to the edge of the dock and slowly guided Edelgard to the docks edge. They walked slowly; she looked a little nervous and imbalanced, but she didn’t try to reach out for support. Byleth easily lowered himself into a sitting position, swinging his legs off the edge of the dock while still holding his fishing pole. He looked up to see Edelgard slowly sitting, as well, although she sat cross-legged instead. She laid a hand gently on one of the dock’s pilings, but Byleth noticed her hand slightly shaking with effort, which gave her death grip away.

Byleth regarded her closely. “Are you alright?”

Edelgard seemed tense, but Byleth could see that her grip was already relaxing. “I’m fine, my teacher.” She gave him a slightly strained smile.

They sat there for the rest of the evening, mostly in silence, as Byleth fished. While waiting for a bite, he looked to the side at her. It was almost hard to believe that this embarrassed girl, who closed her eyes in fright every time the water splashed, was the same as the one he had seen on the battlefield a couple of days ago. He had trouble reconciling the strong, brutal side of her with this more vulnerable side. He wondered which was the real her. Perhaps they both were.

As Byleth walked back to his room after they had said their goodbyes, his steps felt inexplicably lighter than usual. He wondered why.

* * *

Sometimes, Hubert took to walking around in the evening. Edelgard liked to call it ‘prowling’ or ‘spying,’ but he thought of it as simply observing the monastery’s happenings. He tried not to do it too often, as he knew that Lady Edelgard liked to take walks at around the same time, but he had been feeling restless today. He doubted they’d run into each other, anyways.

However, he ended up catching sight of her as he passed by the pier. He quickly ducked into the shade of the staircase as he watched. Strangely, she was on the edge of the dock; even stranger, she was sitting next to someone else. Wasn’t she afraid of the water?

On closer inspection, that ‘someone else’ was their new professor, and he was holding a fishing pole. Edelgard, on the other hand, was holding onto one of the pilings... as expected.

He couldn’t see their faces, but they seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. As he slinked away and headed back to his room, he pondered. Coming across that had put him a little on edge, considering the fact that their professor was an unknown factor, but he supposed there was no real harm.

_Oh well, as long as it doesn’t become a distraction._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took much longer than I thought to complete, since Persona 5R has been sucking away the majority of my free time since it came out. I did end up finishing the chapter, though, yay!!
> 
> I feel like the chapter is a little disjointed, but I wanted to fit the whole month into it. My man Hubie is finally getting some spotlight; I actually love this snarky, edgy boi. Also I hope Edelgard isn't too OOC, but she's honestly kind of hard to write, haha. I guess that's just part of her charm ;D
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Until next time!
> 
> EDIT 8/21: a small continuity fix


	5. Chess and Bad Dreams

Garland Moon

-oOo-

Rhea’s voice droned from the front of the cathedral. “Long ago, the divine Seiros received a revelation from the goddess. A gift, to help guide the lost.”

Edelgard was sitting in a pew, sandwiched between Hubert and Ferdinand, as Rhea held a sermon. Edelgard usually avoided attending such functions, given the chance, but some church functions had mandatory attendance for all students at the academy. She was bored. Rhea preached about Seiros’ revelation just about every week, but the reverence her voice held made it sound like she was uttering the words for the very first time.

It made Edelgard sick to the stomach.

To her left, Ferdinand nodded along with every word of the sermon. She wondered whether it was out of true piety or simply an attempt to uphold his noble image.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Rhea, “Now, let us stand in prayer to the goddess.”

She heard creaks from the pews and the shuffling of feet as everyone in the room stood up, folding their hands in front of their chests. Edelgard did so too, of course; she couldn’t afford to raise suspicion with something so obvious.

However, as she watched everyone around her close their eyes, she kept hers wide open. Even Hubert closed his eyes despite his dislike for the church, but he didn’t truly mind anything as long as it was in the name of subterfuge. Edelgard, however, needed this small act of rebellion to stay sane. She was skilled at holding back her emotions when appropriate, but she still needed an outlet for them. She couldn’t always hold herself back from harmless things like this. Anyone religious enough to report her had their eyes closed, anyways.

She glanced around the room to entertain herself during the silence. The room was motionless; that is, it was motionless until she saw a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eye. She cautiously turned her head toward the color, which was heading toward the entrance of the cathedral. On closer inspection, the yellow blur was Claude, and he was slowly tiptoeing out the entrance. How... curious.

She couldn’t help but stare at his obvious rebellion against the church; such acts were rare to see, after all. Claude’s eyes, which were darting about the room (probably making sure he wouldn’t be caught), locked with hers without warning. She supposed a turned head was fairly easy to spot.

Having caught each other red-handed, they stared at each other for another couple of seconds. Then, Claude smirked at her as he turned around and headed out the door.

As Edelgard watched the edge of his cape disappear along with him, she thought that she might not be the only rebellious spirit in Garreg Mach.

* * *

Edelgard sat down in her seat as Hubert placed a chess board and a wooden box of chess pieces on the table. They were outside of the gazebo, at one of the outdoor tables designed for general use. There was a table under the gazebo, as well, but Edelgard didn’t prefer it. The roof of the gazebo blocked the view of the sky, and she had seen enough stone ceilings for a lifetime.

Neither Hubert nor her had very many hobbies, but they both enjoyed the occasional board game. Maybe both of them had a penchant for secret schemes.

As Hubert sat down in his chair across from her, she asked in mock seriousness, “Which color would you like?” It was an inside joke of sorts, since she already knew what color he would pick.

The corner of Hubert’s mouth quirked in amusement. “Black, of course.” That left Edelgard with white.

White was the color that Hubert always insisted on giving her. White was the color that moved first, leaving black to follow after. White was a symbol of purity; it perfectly matched the image that Hubert wanted her to have when she eventually became emperor.

Hubert preferred black, as it was the color of darkness. He fancied himself to be a servant who supported her from the shadows. He was the one who always did the dirty work, whether it was spying, threatening, or killing. The two colors represented Hubert’s conceptions of their relationship rather well, and Edelgard had to admit that it did fit rather nicely.

It was also pretty funny that the pieces matched their hair colors.

Once the board was set up, Edelgard moved one of her pawns forward two spaces. Her encounter with Claude the day before had instigated a line of thinking that she couldn’t help pursuing, despite a few half-hearted attempts to clamp it down. “You know, Hubert, there are... very many strong people here.”

Hubert raised an eyebrow at her rather vague statement. “I suppose so. In what manner do you mean?” He moved his own pawn from the same column to meet hers.

Edelgard moved a knight so that it would be in position to capture his pawn. “Well, generally speaking, this monastery is filled with competent fighters and mages. The Knights of Seiros are essentially an elite army, and I wouldn’t be surprised if even the Archbishop herself could hold her own.” Of course, both of them already knew the Archbishop’s true identity (The Immaculate One could certainly hold her own in battle), but she didn’t dare mention it while they were out in the open.

Hubert pushed a pawn forward one space, thwarting Edelgard’s attempt at a capture. “That is to be expected, considering we are at the most prestigious academy in Fodlan.”

Edelgard moved up another pawn to try to capture the same one as before. “Yes, but there are also many valuable political allies here. I suppose you’d say that that is expected, as well, but I certainly didn’t expect it to this magnitude. The heirs to all three nations of Fodlan are here at the academy in the same year. Not to mention all of our other classmates.”

She could tell from Hubert’s expression that he was starting to understand what she was getting at, but he made her clarify all the same. “And what of it?” He moved a bishop onto her side of the board.

Edelgard used her pawn to take one of his, picking up the piece and moving it off of the board in a single motion. A quick glance around the yard revealed that there were no possible eavesdroppers close by; she could afford to speak, at least vaguely, about their plans. She made sure to make eye contact to get her point across, “Frankly, I would rather have them as allies than as enemies.”

Hubert, who was in the middle of moving a bishop, paused to shoot her a knowing look. “Lady Edelgard, you know we can’t risk such a thing.” He captured her knight with his bishop.

Edelgard moved her queen to capture his bishop. “Is having more allies truly so risky?”

Hubert captured one of her pawns with his own. “You know that it is not so simple. Revealing anything to anyone is dangerous; even a single person who fails to take our side can make everything we've worked for come tumbling down.” She could tell he was speaking about her identity as the Flame Emperor. The more people that knew about it, the greater the chance that they would be sold out to the church. Even Jeritza and Tomas were liabilities, since they both knew her identity. “We should just stick to the plan,” he added.

Edelgard moved her own bishop now, keeping to her side of the board. “We made that plan years ago, long before we knew who would be at the academy. So far, we have been acting as if having such an amazing gathering of people here means nothing. But, does it really  _ need  _ to mean nothing?”

Hubert moved a knight to threaten one of her pawns. “Of course. No matter who they are or what their status is, there is no guarantee that they will not betray us. Do you really think that it is worth risking your dream every time you recruit an ally? We already have the support of the Empire and some others, which should be more than enough.” Hubert’s mention of ‘some others’ referred to Those Who Slither in the Dark. Edelgard’s alliance with them was as weak as alliances came, and even their support hadn’t come easily.

Edelgard moved her queen horizontally on the board. She stared down at the board as she replied, “I suppose that is true. It would be a large risk.”

Hubert nodded slowly. “That is not even to mention what the slithering ones may do. Our arrangement is fragile, and I am sure that they would be rather  _ uncomfortable _ with you having more leverage.”

Edelgard didn’t have much to say to that. Those Who Slither were an even bigger threat than whatever her classmates at the monastery could reveal about her.

Conversation faded, and their chess game continued in silence as each of them were lost in their thoughts. In between moves, Edelgard’s focus drifted away from the game as she thought about the idea of finding allies. Sure, she would probably have enough power to take down the church as is, even if it would be a close thing. The empire had a well-trained military, and Those Who Slither had access to technologies that could give them the upper hand. 

However, was it really fair to crush everyone who was not already on her side without hearing their opinion? Also, was it not natural to bolster her strength as much as possible before starting a war? Sure, Those Who Slither wouldn’t be happy with her having leverage, but that was just the thing; she would have more leverage. The more power and allies she had, the easier it would be to crush Them when the time came.

Over the past month and a half, she had seen glimpses of disloyalty to the church and the crest-based system of nobility. Dorothea had clearly expressed her dislike for incompetent nobles, and Petra certainly didn’t have much loyalty to Fodlan, being the princess of Brigid. Caspar was capable and talented, but he had been robbed of his place in the nobility by being born a second son. It didn’t take a genius to tell that Felix was unhappy with the system of knighthood, and she had also heard rumors of Sylvain having a crestless older brother.

There were also many people with only half-hearted faith in the goddess; hell, this whole line of thinking had only started yesterday, and only because she caught Claude sneaking out of a religious ceremony that she had wanted to skip, herself. There was also Lysithea, who... well, her white hair was an indication of what scars may lie beneath.

She had only been at the monastery for a short while, but she couldn’t help but see her classmates (and tentatively, friends) as potential valuable allies, rather than enemies. After her evening with the professor a couple nights prior, she even thought that he might side with her, as well. There was no logical reason for it, but she could no longer think of him as an enemy, either.

“Hubert,” she started, “I still think that it’s worth a shot, despite everything.” She examined the board carefully, and moved her queen to the other side of the board, putting Hubert in check. She could see the path to victory, but it required risking her most powerful piece.

Hubert looked up at her. “Is that so?” He captured her queen with his one remaining knight.

“Yes. Seeing how our classmates act around the monastery, I think that they may be our future allies, given the chance. And the ones who slither? The reason they don’t want me to have any more allies is because it would be  _ bad _ for them. I believe that, sometimes, there are things worth risking.” Hubert had moved his knight carelessly; maybe he had been distracted from the game as much as she was. The knight's move opened up the path for her rook to settle right beside his king, and her strategically-placed bishop made sure that his king could not escape. “Checkmate.”

Hubert narrowed his eyes at her. “You’ve made your point.” They worked together to clean up the chess pieces, although it didn’t take very long. Hubert put the lid on the wooden box, looking back up with a much less hostile expression. He sighed. “I understand how you feel, but you must consider the consequences more carefully. My stance on the matter remains the same.”

Edelgard sighed, too. Truthfully, she had come up with this vague idea in only the space of a day, so it was no wonder that he was not convinced yet. She hadn’t even fully convinced herself yet (although, to be honest, she wanted to believe it would work). “We will continue this conversation another day. Let us go to the dining hall, shall we?”

Hubert stooped into a bow. “Yes, my lady.”

At that, Edelgard heard a whistle from the other side of the yard. She turned to the source of the noise and saw Claude walking towards them with an amused look on his face. “Hubert got in trouble with the princess, did he? I hope you two can make up.”

Edelgard shot him a glare. “What do you want, Claude?”

Claude smiled innocently as if he hadn’t seen her glare. “Nothing in particular. I just noticed the chess board and wanted a closer look. Do you two play?”

“Yes, on occasion.” Edelgard regarded him cautiously. She could never tell when he was scheming or when he was being genuine.

“That’s great! You should let me join you, one of these days. I might even give you a run for your money.” His tone was teasing, but it seemed like an honest request.

It occurred to Edelgard that this was a chance to get to know him better. If she was serious about this whole ally thing, learning about Claude would be a good first step. She had already seen his irreverence for the goddess, after all. “I’ll let you know next time if I see you around.”

Claude shot her a more genuine smile and gave a little half-salute with his hand in farewell. “Good, I’ll be looking forward to it. See you around, too, Hubert.” He then turned and left, disappearing behind the bushes that lined the path.

Edelgard and Hubert shared a glance. Hubert looked back at where Claude was, “Well, this should be interesting.”

Interesting, indeed.

* * *

That night, Edelgard found herself tossing and turning in her bed, unable to sleep. She wasn’t even uncomfortable; her frequent adjustments to her sleeping position were more of an attempt to calm her restless mind than anything else.

She had hoped that mentioning her thoughts to Hubert might help her organize them. It had, in a way, but also had brought even more worries to her attention. Hubert, being the good advisor he was, had brought up some of the key flaws with her idea. Simply put, there was no way to accurately gauge the risk for something like this. She could be lucky and meet allies who shared her dreams, but she could also be betrayed by any person she misjudged.

It was a bit of a conundrum, to say the least.

She wondered how Those Who Slither would react, too. Would they welcome more allies, or see them as a threat and eliminate them?

Thinking about Those Who Slither inevitably brought her thoughts back to her siblings; it was where her thoughts always drifted on difficult nights. She had to do everything she could to win, so such a tragedy could never happen again.

Eventually, her consciousness started to fade as her body finally gave into exhaustion. Tiredly, she remembered that she usually had nightmares on days like these. With a sudden burst of panic (even the thought of nightmares was terrifying), she almost woke herself back up, but she ended up drifting off to sleep anyways.

* * *

Byleth had the early shift on night patrol, today. As soon as he officially became a professor, Alois had cycled him into the patrol schedule. Byleth was usually stationed by the dorms. According to Alois, the students might feel uncomfortable with a stranger patrolling the hallways, so the professors and other relevant faculty were always in charge of overseeing the dorms.

Usually, nothing particularly eventful happened, so he talked with Sothis to pass the time. They were doing so at the moment, since there wasn’t anything very interesting about the second floor hallway of the dorm building.

“It is times like this that not having a physical form is  _ so  _ boring! Oh, how I wish I could visit the library and become lost in an epic tale of heroes and conquest!”

_ I can take you there tomorrow if you really want to go. _

Byleth couldn’t see Sothis, but he registered her smile even before she spoke. It was something he had gotten used to; it was probably just part of their connection. “Really? That would be wonderful!” Sothis paused in thought. “Wait, but how would I read it? You certainly cannot hold up a book for me for your entire shift.”

_ Well, maybe it’ll just be for at home th- _ Byleth thought he heard a voice. He completely abandoned his train of thought to listen.

“Uhh... Agh... Fath... Save...” It was a woman’s voice. He couldn’t place who it was, but they must have been one of the students, considering he was in the dorms.

Sothis cut in. “Hey, what are you waiting for? Does it not sound like she might be in trouble?”

Sothis’ words kicked Byleth into action. He hurried down the hallway, straining his ears to figure out which room the voice was coming from.

As he passed Edelgard’s room, he heard the voice much more clearly, abruptly stopping in his tracks. “No... Agh...”

Byleth immediately approached her door and knocked on it. There was no time to waste if she was in danger. “Edelgard, are you okay?”

Her reply was panicked, “Huh?! Who’s there?” A few seconds later, the door flung open to reveal a disheveled Edelgard. She held a dagger in her left hand, looking ready to kill. Once she recognized who he was, however, her eyes softened and she slowly lowered the dagger. “Professor... what are you doing here?”

Byleth looked to the side, suddenly feeling a little awkward. “I’m on shift. I heard your voice, and thought you might be in trouble.” Feeling the urge to justify himself, he added, “It sounded urgent.”

Edelgard stepped back from the door to grab the sheath of her dagger from her desk, easily slotting it back into place and turning back towards him. “Ah, you must have heard me talking in my sleep. I promise that there is nothing to worry about.”

Edelgard gathered her face into an expression that was supposed to be reassuring, but Byleth could only see the dark crescents under her eyes and the strain of her forced smile. Perhaps it would be better to leave her alone, but he couldn’t help but worry about her wellbeing. “Bad dreams, then?”

“Yes, although ‘nightmares’ would be a more fitting term. I... you can come in, if you’d like.”

Byleth shifted awkwardly. Was that really okay? He had essentially just barged in, but here she was, inviting him in like it was nothing.

Seemingly reading his thoughts, she continued, “It really is fine, my teacher. I might feel better getting it off my chest, anyways.”

Byleth only nodded at that, stepping through the entrance and softly closing the door behind him.

Edelgard flipped her desk chair around so it would face her bed. “I don’t have much furniture, but you can sit here, Professor.”

As Byleth took his seat, Edelgard quickly fixed her blanket so it would lay flat on her bed and perched on the mattress across from him. He was surprised that she had allowed him to see her like this; she was dressed in silk nightclothes and her hair wasn’t tied neatly like usual.

Edelgard was silent at first, but Byleth didn’t push her. He knew that she would find her words eventually, and that he only needed to wait until she finished sorting her thoughts. According to his father, he was the same way, always carefully deliberating his thoughts before speaking them aloud.

After a few long moments, Edelgard spoke while looking down at her hands, “I’ve had them since I was a child.” She quickly glanced up at him, “The nightmares, that is. Stupid, pointless dreams I can’t control. It’s terribly frustrating.”

Byleth had recurring dreams as well, but he wouldn’t classify them as nightmares. His dreams of Sothis were calming, and, while his dreams of war were filled with brutality and violence, they didn’t come with the urgency and terror usually associated with nightmares. “What are they about?”

“My childhood. It was a time before I had realized who I was destined to become. Or... rather, a time when I thought I might never become anyone.”

Byleth tried to meet her eyes, but she still wasn’t looking at him. “Do you want to talk about it?” At her continued silence, he added, “You can trust me with anything.”

At that, Edelgard finally met his eyes. “I would like to. I  _ want _ to trust you, I...” She let out a long breath. “I suppose I could try. Please, do not tell a soul.”

“I promise.”

Edelgard said her words cautiously, as if she were afraid to speak them too loudly. “I have happy memories of my family. Things like the private balls my father used to throw, or my eighth birthday, when my older sister gave me a pair of purple ribbons to tie my hair with. I cherish them to this day.” Byleth’s eyes glanced up at her hair before he remembered she wasn’t wearing them. “I think about them frequently; the good memories are like the worn pages of a treasured book, flipped through over and over until they are worn. When I can control it, they are what I focus on. However, I can’t control my dreams.”

Byleth saw her gather up her courage before she continued. “When I dream, it is of my older brother, paralyzed, helpless... my older sister crying for help that never came... the youngest babbling words beyond meaning. I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest depths for a glimmer of light. I remember these scenes so well; they haunt my memories and my dreams, but,” she seemed to deflate a little, “sometimes I feel that there are also things I have forgotten. Pages of my memories that were torn out, never to be read again.

“I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger. Such a large family, and yet I became the heir to the throne. Do you know why? Every last one of them was crippled by disease, or lost their mind, or died. I thought that I would die as well. In the end, though, I was the only one left who could inherit the throne.”

Byleth was stunned. Death at such a large scale, and in the royal family at that? Sure, much more death could happen on the battlefield, but almost an entire family dying in a time of peace was almost unheard of. He murmured, more to himself than Edelgard, “How could such a thing happen...?”

Edelgard continued, perhaps not hearing him, “Things kept getting worse. The darkness kept getting darker. In the end, I was the only one who survived. The nightmares are a reminder to never forget. To never allow such terrible things to happen again.”

She let the words hang in the air as she finished her explanation. Byleth couldn’t even imagine what she was feeling, and much less how to help, so he said the only thing he could, “I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing this with me.”

Edelgard gave him a small smile, and he could tell that it was more genuine than the one before. “Thank you for listening. It is a bit of a relief to get that off my chest.” Byleth’s eyes caught movement on her lap, where she fiddled with the hem of her glove.

He hadn’t noticed before, but she wore white gloves with her nightclothes. “Do you always sleep with gloves on?”

Edelgard looked surprised for a moment, her eyes flitting back down toward her hands. “Ah, I don’t usually think about it, but yes.” She slid one of her gloves off, revealing a pale hand covered in a web of scars. Many of them were thin, but some of them were more jagged, as if made by a large, dull blade. “I prefer to keep them covered. The heir to the Imperial throne can’t show weakness such as this. There is a story behind them, as with most scars, but I’ve already spilled a lot of secrets today.” She slid the glove back over her hand, obscuring it once more.

Byleth replied, “I understand.” And he did. He was a rather tight-lipped person himself after all. For him, it was more that he didn’t know how to  _ express  _ his emotions rather than a reluctance to share them, but he understood the exhaustion that came from sharing the things one usually kept buried deep inside.

Edelgard nodded, and Byleth knew that they had reached an understanding. Edelgard stood up. “I actually shared a lot more than I intended to. I suppose there’s something in the air tonight. I’ve never told anyone about my past before.” She paused, “Sleep well, my teacher. Know that I am always willing to lend an ear if you ever have troubles.”

Edelgard opened the door for him as he replied. “I hope that you sleep well, too, Edelgard.” He looked over his shoulder as he stepped through the doorway, “And, thanks.”

Her faint smile was the last thing he saw before she disappeared behind the door, locking it back into place. He resumed his nightwatch, turning Edelgard’s words over and over in his head until his shift ended and he collapsed in his bed, asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard: you shouldn’t be here  
> Claude: neither should you
> 
> And yes, Edelgard and Hubert had a dramatic chess game at the amiibo gazebo. This chapter was a bit different than usual (especially 'cause Edelgard POV), but I am still pretty happy with the outcome. It was pretty hard to write, especially since I don't know a thing about chess. I have been influenced by the great fic WHITE KING, BLACK KING by Runeless, though, so I had to include some chess, haha.
> 
> I feel like I introduced Edelgard's thought process and her little "plan" a little too abruptly, but I guess these things just happen when you don't even write a chapter in advance. I'd like to know your thoughts though.
> 
> Until next time!


	6. Lonato's Rebellion

Garland Moon

-oOo-

The Garland Moon was almost halfway over, and Rhea had finally called Byleth in to receive his class’ assignment for the month. As always, she stood with Seteth at the front of the audience chamber as Byleth entered.

Rhea smiled gently. “Professor, I hope your classes are still going well?”

Byleth politely bowed, as he had learned that it was the appropriate behavior around the archbishop. “Yes. The students are growing every day.”

“That is wonderful to hear.” Rhea gently clasped her hands together in front of herself. “They will soon have more opportunity to learn, as I have a new mission for them.” She turned slightly towards Seteth, prompting him to speak.

Thankfully, Seteth showed no hostility today and simply gave a briefing. “We have received reports that Lord Lonato has rallied troops against the Holy Church of Seiros.”

The name “Lonato” sounded familiar to Byleth, but he couldn’t remember who he was. “Who is Lord Lonato? I think I heard his name from one of the students.”  
  


Rhea replied, “Lord Lonato is a minor lord of the Kingdom. He has been showing hostility towards the church for quite some time now.”

To answer his second question, Seteth added, “If memory serves, he is the adoptive father of Ashe Duran, a student of the Blue Lion house. You may have heard the name from him or one of his classmates.”

Messy silver hair and freckles came to mind as Byleth remembered where he had heard the name ‘Lonato.’ He had run into Ashe in the library, finding him nose-deep in a book.

_Byleth approached the desk Ashe was sitting at. He stood there for a few seconds, waiting to be noticed, until it became apparent that Ashe was too distracted to sense him. “Ashe.”_

_Ashe’s head jerked up, and he all but dropped his book onto the table. “Ah! Professor Byleth, I didn’t see you there.” Ashe scratched the back of his head. “Did you need something?”_

_Byleth shook his head. “No, but Hanneman was looking for you earlier. Did he ever find you?”_

_Ashe looked sheepish. “Uh, no, I’ve been holed up in here all day. I guess I should go find him now.” He dog-eared his current page and closed the book, revealing the cover._

_Byleth craned his neck to read the title. “_ Loog and the Maiden of the Wind _?”_

_Ashe looked up from his book bag, which he had started to pack, “Yes! It’s my favorite book. I was just rereading it after a busy week. It was a gift from my adoptive father, Lord Lonato. Do you like reading, Professor?”_

_“Not particularly.” Byleth didn’t have anything against reading, but he usually only read to find necessary information._

_Ashe stood from his chair, swinging his bag over his shoulder. “Well, you should definitely give it a try sometime! I need to go find Hanneman, but I’ll see you around, Professor!”_

_Byleth raised a hand in farewell, and Ashe quickly returned the wave before dashing out of the library._

Lord Lonato seemed important to Ashe. Byleth hoped that the conflict would end peacefully, if only for Ashe’s sake.

Seteth continued with his explanation, “A vanguard unit from the Knights of Seiros is already on its way to his stronghold, Castle Gaspard. Lord Lonato does not have the resources to rally more than a few battalions and will be no match for the knights. It’s possible that the rebellion has already been suppressed, but your class will travel with the knights’ rear guard to deal with the aftermath.”

Byleth hummed. It had been a while since he had been on cleanup duty.

“War zones are unpredictable,” Seteth warned, “We do not expect you to have cause for battle, but be prepared for the worst.”

Truthfully, Byleth hoped for a battle so his students could get more experience. Dealing with the stragglers would be useful experience, but not as much as any full-scale battle could bring.

Just then, the doors to the audience chamber creaked open. Byleth turned around to see a blonde-haired woman in white armor. The sword strapped to her hip was uniquely shaped, with several large spines protruding out of the blade. She called out from the entrance, “You sent for me, Lady Rhea?”

Rhea’s eyes crinkled fondly. “Yes. I would like to introduce you to Professor Byleth, who will be bringing his class with you on the mission.” Looking at Byleth, she said, “This is Catherine. She will be leading the knights whom you will be accompanying.”

Catherine walked up to Byleth and held her hand up to shake. Byleth took it, noticing her remarkably firm grip. If it wasn’t for her wide smile, he would’ve assumed that she was trying to hurt him. She greeted him, “Nice to meet you. If you need anything, just ask. We’ve heard a lot about you; if we’re lucky, I’ll be excited to see the son of the Bladebreaker in action.”

Rhea turned to Byleth, “She is one of our bravest knights, and that is no small feat.” She wore a serene expression, but it suddenly hardened into something closer to anger. “This mission should prove useful in demonstrating to the students how foolish it would be to ever turn their blades on the church.”

Byleth had almost forgotten, with how kind and accepting Rhea usually was. However, that hard expression had abruptly reminded him of what he had thought on his first day at the monastery: Rhea looked exactly like Seiros, the woman who so violently killed the man named Nemesis in his dreams.

* * *

The next day, Sylvain and Ashe caught him as he was heading to class. Sylvain waved a hand widely, “Professor, over here!”

Byleth always headed to the classroom early, so he had time to spare. Sylvain and Ashe were standing by one of the walls near the training grounds. Byleth made his way over to them, “Hello, you two.”

Ashe smiled at him, “Hello, Professor Byleth! How are you doing this morning?”

“I am fine. How are you?” Byleth’s eyes shifted back and forth between the two. It seemed like they were waiting specifically for him; he wondered what they exactly needed.

Ashe’s eyes flicked to the side for a moment before returning to Byleth. “Well, I’m doing as well as I can be, given the circumstances.”

Sylvain chipped in to explain, “We heard about your class’ assignment for this month. Since Lord Lonato is important to Ashe,” Sylvain jerked his head in Ashe’s direction,”he wanted to come with your class.”

Ashe looked straight at Byleth, eyes wide and determined. “Please, take me with you.”

Byleth nodded. “I have no problem with it. I’ll need to check with my class, though.”

Ashe smiled, but it looked a little strained. “Thanks, Professor.”

Upon seeing Ashe’s strained look, Byleth asked, “Will you be okay? Lonato will be... on the opposing side.” It was obvious to all of them that Lonato would be the enemy, but Byleth couldn’t think of any better way to phrase his question.

Ashe pursed his lips in thought, trying to formulate a response.

At Ashe’s silence, Sylvain clapped Ashe on the shoulder. “Actually, I’m supposed to come along as well to make sure Ashe is alright. It was Professor Hanneman’s condition for letting Ashe go.”

Having found his words, Ashe added, “I know what Lonato has done, but I just _need_ to see. I need to understand.”

Byleth looked back and forth between the two of them. Despite Sylvain’s relaxed tone, they both seemed determined to see this through. “I understand. That settles it, then. I’ll let you know when everything is finalized.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Ashe thanked him again, but Byleth didn’t see what there truly was to be grateful for. It was only natural that Ashe be allowed to come along.

* * *

Byleth unlocked the doors of the Black Eagles’ classroom for the day, propping them open for students to come in for class. He took his seat at the front desk and pulled a stack of papers from a drawer. He still had a few minutes to get ahead on grading.

Unsurprisingly, the first student to arrive was Edelgard, who took her usual seat in the front by the middle aisle. She greeted him, “Hello, Professor.”

Byleth looked up from his papers. “Good morning, Edelgard.” 

He watched for a moment as Edelgard got out her notebook and quill before going back to grading. He wasn’t sure why Edelgard made such a point to be early every day, but he supposed it didn’t really matter. Perhaps it was because of her position as house leader? She did take her position rather seriously, after all.

At that thought, Byleth’s hand paused, his writing quill held just above the paper. He was planning on discussing Ashe and Sylvain with the entire class, but he realized that Edelgard might appreciate knowing beforehand. She _was_ the house leader.

Byleth got up from his seat and walked to the front of Edelgard’s desk. Uncharacteristically, she didn’t notice him at all; she was invested with whatever she was scribbling into her notebook. Byleth spoke up, “Edelgard.”

Edelgard sat up straight and quickly closed her notebook. “Ah, Professor! I didn’t know you were there. Did you need something?” She had shut her notebook quickly, but Byleth caught a glimpse of what she had been working on. A drawing; a flower of some sort.

“I wanted to discuss something with you before the others arrive.”

Edelgard looked up at him in interest. “What did you want to discuss?”

“It’s about the mission for this month.”

Edelgard nodded. “Ah, about Lord Lonato? His uprising is rather concerning, considering how many citizens he’s already managed to rally against the church.”

Byleth tilted his head. “I’m surprised so many people already know about the mission.”

“Word travels quickly in the monastery.”

“So it seems. Ashe and Sylvain approached me earlier about it. They want to come with our class on the mission, since Ashe is close to Lonato. I already told them that I’m okay with it, but I wanted your opinion.”

Edelgard’s eyes widened a little. “My... opinion? I’m rather flattered that you asked.” She paused for a moment to think. “I don’t see much of a problem with it, as long as Ashe doesn’t do anything too rash. Did he seem calm when you spoke with him?”

Byleth considered for a moment. “For the most part. It seems like he really just wants to be there. Sylvain is coming to look after him just in case, but we probably won’t be in actual combat.”

Edelgard absently nodded at his words. “That being said, it’s always good to be prepared. I’d appreciate both of their help, and I’m sure the rest of the class would as well.”

She smiled at him, and he felt oddly reassured. “I’ll check with the rest of the class when they arrive, then.”

Byleth sat back down at his desk, and the Black Eagles started to file in one by one. Linhardt barely made it on time, but he technically wasn’t late. 

When everyone was seated, Byleth began, “As you may have heard, our mission for this month is to travel with the knight’s rear guard to suppress Lord Lonato’s rebellion. We probably won’t be seeing combat, but be prepared for anything.” He paused for a moment. “That being said, Ashe and Sylvain want to come on the mission, as well. Are there any objections?”

Caspar spoke up first. “Wait, isn’t Ashe... Lord Lonato’s adopted kid? Is that really okay?”

“All the more reason to let him come along, in my opinion,” Ferdinand said.

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Caspar replied. “Wait, is Sylvain there to be his babysitter or something?”

Dorothea turned around halfway in her seat to look at him. “Don’t you think that’s a little rude, Caspar? Although I do wonder whether Sylvain is truly responsible enough for that, considering how he is with women.”

Petra looked at Dorothea beside her, confused. “Ashe is not being a woman, is he?”

Dorothea laughed. “No, no, I just mean that-”

Byleth watched his class from his vantage point at the front of the classroom. Sothis giggled in his head, “Having a hard time keeping your class under control?”

Byleth couldn’t even argue; this had gotten out of hand rather quickly. He supposed it was inevitable, since he had essentially opened the floor for anyone to speak. He glanced at Edelgard, who gave him an apologetic smile. Beside her, Hubert smiled as well, but he seemed more amused than apologetic.

Byleth clapped twice to get his class’ attention. The room went silent, except for Dorothea, “Oh... sorry, Professor.”

“Again, are there any objections?”

A sea of shaking heads told him that there were none.

“It’s settled, then.”

* * *

On the day of the mission, Byleth found himself in a wagon with Edelgard, Hubert, Catherine, and... the mercenary-like woman he had seen standing in front of the greenhouse the month before. The rest of his students were divided between two other wagons just behind his.

The wagons were drawn by horses; it was the easiest way to transport such a large group. After they traveled a good distance, the woman across from Byleth reached out her hand to shake. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced. I am Shamir.”

Byleth shook her hand. “Byleth.”

Shamir crossed her arms. “The new professor, right? Good luck with that.”

Catherine put an arm around Shamir’s shoulders, and Shamir looked at her exasperatedly. Catherine smiled at Byleth, “Shamir is another one of the knights. Y’know, she used to be a mercenary just like you. Well, she still kind of is, but it’s complicated.” Byleth glanced back at Shamir. That explained why she seemed so different from the rest of the knights.

Shamir lightly pushed Catherine away. “I wasn’t supposed to be on this mission, but Rhea didn’t have any important assignments for me and Catherine convinced her to let me come. So, here I am.” Turning to Catherine, she said, “I’m surprised she does you so many favors.”

Catherine grinned. “I’m working my way up in the world. Soon, I’ll be Lady Rhea’s favorite for sure!”

Shamir rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you will.”

Hubert spoke up, “It is rather reassuring to have such a powerful archer and the wielder of Thunderbrand on our side.”

Byleth leaned forward on the bench to look at Hubert, who was sitting on the other side of Edelgard. “Thunderbrand?”

Catherine grabbed her oddly-shaped sword from where it rested beside her. “You don’t know? My weapon is called Thunderbrand, one of the Hero’s Relics originally bestowed by the goddess. Although... Hubert, was it? I’m glad for your reassurance, but there probably won’t be any battles today.”

Hubert smirked, “What a shame.”

Something had been bugging Byleth for a while now. “Why did Lord Lonato start a rebellion in the first place?”

Catherine’s face fell a little. “Oh, that goes back all the way to the Tragedy of Duscur.”

Edelgard nodded slowly. “I remember that day well. No one saw it coming.” She turned her head to face Byleth. “Four years ago, the king of Faerghus was murdered by the people of Duscur. There were many other victims from the kingdom as well... some of whom I knew personally.” Byleth wondered why Edelgard would know them if she grew up in the Empire, but it wasn’t the time to ask.

Shamir added, “King Lambert was attempting a major political reform. It’s no wonder he was targeted, but tragic all the same.”

“There were accomplices in the Kingdom as well. Lord Lonato’s son, Christophe, was one of them, and so he was handed over to the church for execution,” Catherine said.

It was already odd that the church had its own army, but Byleth found the execution even weirder. “The church executes criminals?”

Catherine replied, “Well, I can’t speak for the morality of such a thing. But speaking from the church’s perspective, we simply passed judgement in place of the Kingdom, which was in complete chaos.”

Byleth looked down at his hands in his lap. He supposed that made sense. He still wondered why the church did not just hold Christophe in prison, though.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Edelgard was looking at him. He looked up to meet her eyes, catching a glimpse of an oddly observant gaze. She had been trying to gauge his reaction, assess him for reasons that he didn’t know. Upon meeting his eyes, she quickly looked away.

Catherine continued, ignorant of their little interaction, “Whatever the truth behind that incident may be, Lord Lonato has harbored resentment to the church ever since. Well, to be more specific, his grudge is against the one who turned Christophe over to them...”

Byleth looked up at her. “Who was the one who turned him in?”

Suddenly, all the wagons stopped, and a church soldier came running from the wagon before theirs. “Report! The enemy is approaching! Their numbers are far greater than we predicted. They used the fog to slip past the knights’ perimeter!”

Shamir stood up first, a bow already in her hands. “Well, it looks like our mission just changed, everyone. Get ready for battle.”

* * *

The battle was brutal. A few of the soldiers brought torches, but they did nothing to penetrate the thick fog. 

The Black Eagles formation was tight; there was enough room between them to fight, but they huddled close enough so they could see each other. It was so they could cover for each other if needed, but Byleth had also arranged it that way so he knew when to Divine Pulse if needed.

Byleth kept a close eye on his students. There was no telling what might happen in this fog. A militiaman swung a lance at him, and he barely had enough time to parry with his sword. He was too distracted. The militiaman yelled, “I won’t let you get anywhere near Lord Lonato!”

Soon, the rest of his students were locked into battles with other enemies. Hubert took down an axe user that appeared out of the forest, and Petra took down another. Caspar forced a bowman into a fistfight. Sylvain was next to Byleth, deflecting a spear with his own, and Ashe stayed close to him, switching between a shortsword and a mini bow as needed. Edelgard dodged around a dark mage’s spells, trying her best to force the fight into close quarters.

Byleth dueled his militiaman the best he could, but he had been pushed onto the defensive. He kept his distance dodging around his enemy’s wide swings until one of the swings was too wide-

He heard Bernadetta’s scream, and glanced behind in dread, only to see her get stabbed in the chest by a sword-user. He had made a mistake in judgement. She had been at the back of the group, but the fog had enabled the militia to sneak in behind and attack her. Her bow was also rather powerless in this thick fog.

Byleth froze time.

Sothis stood in front of him. “The first death, then.”

Byleth looked up from Sothis to see Bernadetta again, her mouth frozen in a silent scream. “Yeah.”

“You probably have three more, after this. They won’t replenish until tomorrow.” Sothis said.

Byleth nodded solemnly. He had never needed Divine Pulse before, but, in this situation, three almost didn’t feel like enough.

He rewound time less than a minute. The lance user attacked him, and he parried. The militiaman shouted, “I won’t let you get anywhere near Lord Lonato!”

In the moment he had after parrying the militiaman, Byleth shouted, “Ferdinand, Dorothea! Intercept any ambushers from behind!”

“Understood!”

“I’ve got it, Professor!”

Byleth dueled the militaman again, but finished him off quickly. He knew the exact movements the lance-user might make and stuck him down even before the opening he had spotted last time. He looked behind and saw Ferdinand block the assassin, Dorothea finishing him off.

The battle continued chaotically, Byleth needing to use another Divine Pulse to save Linhardt, who had been too focused on healing Ferdinand. Not long after, Byleth suddenly found himself in a small copse of trees. In the middle stood a hooded mage, who was channeling a spell of some sort.

Byleth caught him by surprise, quickly stabbing him in the side and killing him. As the mage slumped to the ground, the fog disappeared. No wonder it had been so thick; the source was magical.

He heard a man shout in the distance. Presumably Lonato. “You! I will be the one to kill you, no other!”

Catherine’s reply was closer. “You want to fight me? So be it. I’ll send you to meet your goddess.” Why did Lonato single out Catherine? Was she the one he had a grudge against?

Petra shot through the trees, passing him, “Come, Professor! We can be seeing the enemy without the fog.”

Right. It was no time for idle thoughts.

The battle was resolved quickly, after that. The enemies no longer had the advantage of surprise and were suffering for their lack of trained soldiers.

In the end, Byleth and the students surrounded Lonato, whose allies were all dead.

Ashe stood in front of Lonato, bow raised.

Lonato looked at him sadly. “Stand down, Ashe. I must destroy these evil-doers by any means necessary.”

Ashe’s eyes filled with tears. “Please surrender, Lonato! You’re surrounded. Whatever your reason for doing this, we can still talk it out!”

Lonato’s face scrunched in anger. “Rhea is an infidel who has deceived the people and desecrated the goddess! She and her _followers_ do not deserve to live.”

Byleth wondered what he meant. Except for the anger Rhea had shown the day she gave him this assignment, she had never seemed to be anything but benevolent. Could there possibly be any sort of truth behind Lonato’s words?

Ashe raised his voice, “Even if that’s true, dragging the townsfolk into it like this isn’t right!”

Lonato narrowed his eyes. “Enough. I’m putting an end to this!”

Byleth pushed Ashe out of the way and deflected Lonato’s spear to the side. Lonato readied himself for another swing, “You have been deceived by that witch... I will show you the truth!”

Lonato swung, but his spear never reached its target. He slumped forward, Hubert having cast a powerful spell at him from behind. It was over.

Later, Catherine revealed that the knights had found a note on Lord Lonato’s body. A plot to assassinate Lady Rhea. Lonato’s rebellion was over, but it seemed that this conflict was a lot bigger than just Lonato.

* * *

Back at the monastery, knights and students alike milled about, putting everything from the trip back into place. Byleth held the leads of two horses to bring back to the stables, and Edelgard walked beside him with a rather large box of spare armor for the knights. Byleth considered asking if she needed help, but decided against it. 

Edelgard kept her eyes forward as she spoke, “It seems everyone was a bit shaken by the militia fighting alongside our enemies.”

“That’s just the reality of battle.” Byleth replied.

He saw Edelgard quickly glance at him. “If only everyone could face reality so unflinchingly. Some of the others were even saying that Lonato’s civilian forces were innocents, victims of Lonato.”

“Do you believe that, as well?”

Edelgard’s voice became more bold. “No. The commoners who allied themselves with Lord Lonato believed they were fighting for a just cause. It would be disrespectful to consider them simply victims when they died for what they believed in.”

“So, you believe that they were just? That they fought for a good cause?” Byleth wasn’t sure what prompted him to ask these questions. All he knew was that he wanted to understand her. He wanted to know her motives; he wanted to know the truth behind her evaluating gaze.

“Perhaps. There is no way for us to know their true motives, or if their cause was something they believed to be righteous. Still, no matter their reasons, we have no choice but to eliminate those who cling to unreasonable ideas of justice.” Edelgard lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard. “Even if our enemies are the gods themselves... we must never lose sight of our goal.”

“I agree,” Byleth said. He had seen many battles in his lifetime; people usually didn’t fight if they didn’t believe themselves to be just. In the end, though, one side always lost the battle.

Edelgard looked up at him again, eyes wide. “I’m surprised to hear you say that.”

“The gods, though? Would it truly ever come to that?”

Edelgard’s smile was too grim to be joking. “You never know, Professor.”

They walked a little further before Edelgard continued, “Really, I’m just like Lonato. I, too, will be the sort of ruler who’s willing to risk the lives of my citizens in service of a higher cause. It’s not possible to change the world without sacrifice. Dying for the greater good is not a death in vain.”

The two of them arrived at the stables. Byleth got to work on untacking the horses, but paused to look Edelgard in the eyes. “You want to change the world, then?”

He saw Edelgard's eyes widen and heard her sharp intake of breath. “I...” she started.

A voice from afar interrupted them. “Hey, Edelgard!” Byleth turned his head to see Sylvain at the opposite entrance to the stables. He was holding a box similar to Edelgard’s. “Aren’t you getting tired standing around with that box? The armory is over here, you know.”

Byleth looked to Edelgard. She blinked. “Oh, right. I was carrying this.” She adjusted her grip on the box, causing whatever metal was inside to clang loudly.

Byleth was incredulous. How had she _forgotten_ she was carrying an entire box of equipment?

Sothis bursted out laughing. “Oh, what a way to kill the intense mood!”

Sylvain called out again. “Wanna walk together? I like to make ‘ladies first’ a policy, but,” he laughed, almost dropping his box but using a knee to steady it, “this thing is pretty heavy.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “Yes, in a moment.”

“Seriously?” Sylvain said.

Edelgard turned to Byleth. “Thanks for listening to all of that. I’ll see you later, my teacher.”

Byleth tilted his head a little, amused at the situation. “I’ll see you in class, Edelgard.”

Unexpectedly, Edelgard’s eyes widened in surprise. Her cheeks turned a little pink, too. Byleth heard her say under her breath, “Was that...?”

He leaned toward her a little to hear better. “Did you say something?”

Edelgard quickly turned around. “Ah, it was nothing. Bye, Professor!” She rushed off, quickly joining Sylvain to go to the armory.

Byleth murmured to himself, “What was that about?”

Sothis answered, “Perhaps you are more of a charmer than you think?”

_I’m not sure about that._

Sothis giggled. “Perhaps. I wonder what she was going to say, though, before that womanizer butted in.”

_I don’t know._ The fact that he didn’t know bothered him. He wanted to know what had caused her to react so strongly. Was she truly aiming to change the world? He would need to ask her next time he got the chance.

Byleth heard a voice from around the corner. It was confident and earnest. Dimitri’s? “In fact, I find you to be a lucky charm of sorts.”

Another voice replied. It was soft; a woman’s voice. “Me? Lucky? I’m sorry, but I don’t agree. My entire life up until this point has been-”

Byleth saw them appear from behind the corner. It was Dimitri and Marianne. Upon seeing Byleth, Marianne abruptly stopped talking.

Dimitri seemed to notice her discomfort and picked up the slack. “Professor Byleth! What brings you here?”

Byleth suddenly felt awkward, standing there with a half-untacked horse. “We just got back from our mission. I’m putting a couple of the horses back in the stables. What are you two doing here?” It was odd to see the two of them together, seeing as they were from different classes.

Marianne spoke quietly. “Umm... we’re supposed to take care of the horses this week. I hope you don’t mind.”

Byleth shook his head. “Not at all.”

“We can take over for you here, Professor,” Dimitri offered. “I’m sure you need to tend to more important things after your mission.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, neither of us mind at all. The two of us end up here a lot, actually, since we volunteer for the chore.” Dimitri looked at Marianne, who nodded.

Byleth nodded at the two of them. “Thank you both. I’ll see you around.”

Dimitri smiled assuredly. “Bye for now, Professor.”

Marianne bowed in farewell. “Goodbye, Professor Byleth.”

* * *

Edelgard, blushing, dashed towards Sylvain. She couldn’t believe it. Had she just seen... Byleth smile?

It was only a small quirk of the lips, but she was sure that it was still a smile. She wondered what had prompted it, since she had never seen him smile before. She... also wondered why she couldn’t control her blush.

Sylvain breathed out in relief, “Finally, you’re here!” Edelgard kept walking past him. “Hey, wait up!”

Edelgard slowed down, and Sylvain caught up to walk beside her. He looked to the side at her, “What the hell was that abou- are you blushing? It looks pretty cute.”

Edelgard put on the angriest face she could muster. “Don’t even try it.”

Sylvain chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. It’s just a joke.”

Edelgard huffed, saying nothing. Sylvain got under her skin in a similar way to Claude, always teasing.

They walked for a while in silence before Sylvain spoke up again. “You know, I think I admire Lonato a little bit.”

Edelgard, thankful that Sylvain had stopped joking around, replied, “How so?”

“Well, I’m not sure if he really went about it the right way, but the system faulted him. And he stood up to it. I guess... I wish I had the courage to do something like that.” 

“I see.”

Sylvain’s eyes widened. “Not that I hate Rhea or anything! Just to make that clear.”

Edelgard nodded. “I understand. Just... the spirit of it.” The spirit of rebellion.

“Y-yeah, the spirit of it.”

They walked the rest of the way in slightly awkward silence. The stories Edelgard heard about Sylvain might have been true, then. An older brother disowned for being born without a crest, hating Sylvain for taking his place. 

As they finally found the doors of the armory, Edelgard wondered if she had just found another person like herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My updates just keep getting further and further apart! Proof that this school quarter is still getting harder, smh.
> 
> I stuck a little closer to the game script than I would've liked, this chapter, but I really wanted to include some stuff. You win some, you lose some. I had a lot of fun writing it, though, especially the last couple of scenes. It's pretty amusing to stick Edelgard in scenes with people who like to tease. Also Shamir is at Lonato's rebellion because lol why not
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Until next time!


	7. Tea for Two

Blue Sea Moon

-oOo-

Byleth had just sat down with a book (one that Sothis had recommended after he borrowed it from the library for her) when he heard a knock on his door. He placed the book face-down on the current page and got up to open the door.

On the other side of the door was Ferdinand, who held a rather thin wooden box. The box was painted mostly white, but there was a cluster of blue painted roses on the lid, as well. Ferdinand beamed at him. “Good evening, Professor!”

Byleth just stood in the doorway, not sure what to make of him. Visits from students to his dorm room were rather rare. “Ferdinand. What brings you here?”

Ferdinand’s face fell a little. “Truth be told, I made a dreadful mistake just last week and ended up with two of the same tea set. However, it is also the perfect opportunity to thank you for your instruction thus far! I would like you to have it.” Ferdinand held out the box towards Byleth.

“Thank you.” Byleth took the tea set and stared at the lid, rather perplexed. He was appreciative, but he had never made tea with such delicate china before. He wondered if Ferdinand would be willing to teach him.

Byleth’s thoughts were interrupted by Ferdinand, “I wanted to gift it to someone who could appreciate its true value, and you seemed to be the perfect candidate! Someone as well-versed as yourself must already have extensive knowledge on the subject of brewing tea.” 

Well. He couldn’t exactly ask for help  _ now. _ “I’ll put it to good use.”

Ferdinand was beaming again. “Just as I had hoped! I’ll see you tomorrow in class, then.” 

Before Byleth could reply, Ferdinand was already gone, leaving Byleth standing by himself in his own doorway. He shut the door and placed the tea set on his desk.

Byleth just looked blankly at the box. Sothis commented, “This boy has no clue how foolish you truly are. Have you even brewed tea before?”

_ Of course I have. But I’ve never owned anything so fancy. _

“Well? Let us see what is inside.”

Byleth opened the lid of the box, revealing an all-white tea set. There were two teacups, two... plates, some sort of spoon, and a single teapot. It looked rather basic; he could see how Ferdinand might have accidentally bought two of the same one.

Sothis appeared next to him, floating. “Oh, this is it? I was hoping for something prettier. With flowers on it, perhaps.”

Byleth, for one, was glad that the set wasn’t too showy.  _ This suits me just fine. _

“I suppose our tastes differ.” Sothis crossed her arms. “At any rate, what are you going to do with this now? You seem to have no idea how to use it, and you cannot exactly ask that boy for help.”

_ I have no idea. _ Byleth replaced the lid back on the box and placed it on the shelf that ran across the far wall. He would figure it out later.

* * *

After class the next day, Byleth called out to Edelgard before she left the classroom. “Edelgard, will you help me with something?”

Edelgard stopped in her tracks and quickly twirled to face him. “Right now?” Byleth nodded. “I wouldn’t mind at all. What do you need help with? Does it have something to do with training?”

Byleth was a bit reluctant to reveal that he was asking her for help with something so trivial. “No, I’ll just show you. Walk with me?”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow at that, but she fell into step with him as they left the classroom. He was glad for it, because he didn’t know exactly how he would’ve explained what he needed.

Soon, they were at the door to his room. Edelgard looked up at him. “Isn’t this your room, Professor? What could you possibly need help with here?”

Byleth took out the room key from his bag and unlocked the door. “I’ll tell you once we’re inside.”

“Ah, alright then.”

They entered the room and Byleth went to his back shelf. He was about to grab the box when he realized the door was still open. He twisted around to look at Edelgard, “Would you mind closing the door?”

“Yes, I will do that right now.” Edelgard quickly shut the door. Byleth noticed that her face was oddly red.

Byleth could hear Sothis trying to hold back laughter. “I shouldn’t laugh, but...” A chortle escaped her, “your awkwardness amuses me so!”

_ I’m not sure what you mean. _

“You must be giving her such  _ odd _ ideas.” Sothis let out another short burst of laughter.

Ignoring the last comment from Sothis, Byleth grabbed the box that held the tea set and placed it on the desk. He lifted off the lid and turned to Edelgard, straight-faced as always. “What do I do with this?”

For a moment, Edelgard was silent, her eyes glancing back and forth between him and the tea set. Finally, she laughed, and it was a bit more open than he was used to seeing. Usually, she shielded her mouth with a hand when she laughed, but this time she didn’t bother. “You called me to your room to help you with a tea set?”

Byleth shifted his weight awkwardly. He knew it was a bit of an odd request, but he didn’t realize it was so funny. “Well, yes...”

Edelgard managed to contain her laugh quickly, but she was still smiling. “I apologize for laughing, my teacher; it was just rather unexpected. I’d be happy to help you with this.”

Byleth scratched the back of his head. “Thanks.”

“Well, first things first. Do you already have tea leaves to use?”

Byleth turned back to the shelf and grabbed a few small tins, placing them on the desk next to the tea set. “I bought a few blends at the market this morning. I don’t know anything about their quality, though.”

Edelgard opened one of the tins to look at the leaves inside. “I believe that these will do nicely. Would you like to go outside, Professor?” She closed the tin and held on to it.

Byleth put the lid back on the box and picked it up. He tilted his head at the door. “Lead the way.”

He followed Edelgard to an outdoor table in the gardens. The weather was warm and clear, but there weren’t many people out. It was a work day, after all.

Edelgard gestured toward the table. “You can set the box down here. Would you mind boiling some water while I set up? Usually, you would do all of this beforehand, but today was a bit last-minute.”

Byleth nodded and went to the dining hall to borrow a kettle and boil water in the kitchen. When he arrived back at the gardens, he saw Edelgard sitting in one of the chairs with the tea set spread across the table in front of her. There was a teacup on a plate in front of each chair, and the teapot was a bit off to the side. The tin of tea was next to it, with the spoon from the box propped up on it neatly. The box that the tea set came in was placed neatly on a nearby unoccupied table.

Edelgard was sitting up straight with her hands resting gently in her lap. Seeing her sitting there in her semi-formal Garreg Mach uniform, Byleth was suddenly hit by the notion that she looked like she belonged. It wasn’t hard to see that she was royalty when she looked and acted like this.

Edelgard smiled pleasantly at him. “Welcome back, Professor.”

Byleth put the hot kettle down on the table and sat in the opposite chair. “I see you’ve set everything up already.”

“That I have. You’ll be doing the rest, however.”

“Right.” Byleth reached for the tin and the spoon. “What is the spoon used for?”

Edelgard replied as Byleth opened the tin, “It’s a tea scoop. It is only used for scooping the tea leaves into the pot. One scoop should be enough.”

Byleth scooped a spoonful of tea into the teapot. “I see.” Using the scoop as a measurement was much easier than eyeballing the right amount like he usually did. He set the tin and the scoop off to the side and picked up the kettle. Assuming this part was pretty straightforward, he evenly poured the boiling water into the teapot before placing the teapot’s lid back into place.

Edelgard nodded approvingly. “Usually you would provide your guest with pastries of some sort, but we don’t need them today. You will need some sort of basket or platter to present them on, if you bring any.”

Byleth crossed his arms in thought. “Couldn’t I have picked some up from the dining hall?”

Edelgard’s eyebrows scrunched a little. “Hmm, I suppose you could, but it could be seen as unthoughtful or rude to your guest. You would be better off just purchasing something elsewhere.”

“I’ll do that, then.”

“I am surprised you know so little about hosting someone for tea. Do you simply never drink it?”

“I do, but never like this. With the mercenary company, we would just boil the water and brew it by the cup. A teapot isn’t big enough when a dozen different people want tea at the same time.”

Edelgard looked a bit surprised. “It’s rare that I ever get to hear about your life as a mercenary. Why do you not talk of it more often?”

Byleth looked down at the table. “There isn’t much to tell. Most of my days were typically the same.”

“Still, it is a rather unique experience. I am sure that there is more to tell than you think there is.”

Byleth looked up at her again. “Perhaps.”

Edelgard nodded. “I would be happy to hear any stories you have. Oh, I believe the tea has steeped for a few minutes already.” She lifted up the teapot, holding the handle with one hand and keeping the lid steady with the other. “Lift the teapot like this. You are expected to pour for your guest first and yourself second, but I’ll only pour in your cup to demonstrate.” Edelgard stood up a little to reach his cup and filled it most of the way with tea. She set the teapot on the table. “You can try pouring mine, now.”

Byleth imitated what she had done, but he didn’t need to stand up at all to reach her cup. He set the teapot to the side. “What do we do now?”

Edelgard tilted her head. “Just talk, I suppose. Some say that tea time is filled with small talk, but that does not matter too much. Any topic will suffice.”

Byleth thought back to a few days ago, when he had asked her if she wanted to change the world. He didn’t get an answer then, but now was as good of a time as any to ask again. “Do you want to change the world?”

Edelgard, who was in the middle of sipping her tea, looked like she almost spit it out. She took a moment to recover before replying. “I suppose I did say that any topic would suffice. The short answer is ‘yes,’ but that topic is a bit heavy for the occasion. We are also in a fairly open place.”

Glancing around the gardens, Byleth nodded in understanding. While there was no one sitting nearby, there was the occasional passerby. They weren’t in the most private area.

He reached for his cup, putting one hand on the handle, but he burned his other hand while trying to steady it. He jerked his hand away. The ceramic heated up much faster than he thought it would.

Edelgard seemed amused. “If it’s too hot, you can hold the saucer to steady it instead of the cup itself. Like this.” She held the handle of her tea cup in one hand and held her saucer under her cup with the other, taking a small sip.

“That makes sense.” Byleth took a sip of his own tea. He now knew that they were called ‘saucers,’ not plates. “Thank you for teaching me all of this.”

“It was my pleasure.” Edelgard’s expression became thoughtful. “Teaching, hmm? I suppose I am the one teaching you this time around.”

“I should call you ‘Professor Edelgard,’ then.”

Edelgard’s eyebrows raised in concern. “I’m not sure about that. I am not even close to a professor.” After a pause, the concerned look disappeared from her face. “That was a joke, wasn’t it.”

Byleth nodded and took a sip of his tea.

Edelgard smiled. “I believe I am beginning to understand you a bit more. Well, either way, it would be rather inappropriate to address one of your students as ‘Professor.’”

“Should I call you ‘my teacher,’ then? Or just ‘Teacher?’”

Edelgard raised her teacup to hide part of her face. “Professor, please don’t tease me like that! It is... rather embarrassing.”

Byleth thought that, if he was a more expressive person, he might have laughed.

* * *

A couple days later, Rhea gave Byleth his class’ next assignment. He set aside part of their next class period to discuss it.

Byleth stood up from his desk at the front of the classroom. “Before we start class, I’d like to discuss this month’s assignment. As expected, our mission for this month is to patrol and set up defenses to stop the assassination plot against Rhea. I have my own thoughts regarding the mission, but would anyone like to share theirs first?” He wanted to have a class discussion like they had done for the previous month’s assignment, but he hoped it wouldn’t be as chaotic this time around.

Hubert spoke first. “I do have some thoughts of my own. I was wondering if an assassinaton attempt is truly the goal of the enemy.”

Byleth nodded. Hubert’s opinion had matched his exactly. “It’s a distraction.”

Hubert grinned sardonically. “Exactly. It is not often that we agree on matters of this variety.”

Edelgard continued their train of thought, “A barely concealed secret message, trying to distract us from whatever’s really going on. Sloppy, to say the least. It doesn’t make sense that Lonato would carry such a sensitive document into battle, unless we were meant to find it. I’m sure that they intend to accomplish their true goal while everyone is out searching for a phantom assassin.”

“But what kind of goal would the enemy have?” Dorothea asked. “We don’t even know who wrote that letter about the assassination.”

Byleth was glad they were all on the same page. It made his job a bit easier. “That is why I wanted to discuss the mission today. You all have more knowledge about the monastery than I do. Any ideas about the enemy’s goal?”

Linhardt lifted his head off of his desk. “Well, that’s pretty easy, isn’t it?”

Everyone turned to look at him. “What are you meaning?” Petra asked.

“The assassination is supposed to happen on the day of the Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth. During the ceremony, the entire monastery will be open to the public. That includes the chapel’s Holy Mausoleum.”

Petra replied, “I am seeing your line of thinking. It is the only day that the enemy will be having access to the Mausoleum.”

Caspar snorted. “Why would they ever want to go in there? It’s just the tomb of Saint Seiros.”

Linhardt raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously? ‘Just the tomb’? I’ll have you know, it is a desirable location for researchers and historians alike. It’s full of ancient knowledge, so there must be  _ some  _ reason for the church to keep it locked up all year. I’ve even tried to break in a couple of times, but I got caught.” He yawned. “I gave up, after that.”

There was a silent pause of collective disbelief before it was broken by Bernadetta, “Do you think they’re grave robbers?”

Byleth tilted his head in thought. “It is hard for me to believe so. And I doubt the enemy is only aiming to use the tomb for research.”

“If I may, Professor,” Ferdinand said, “I can offer another reason that this is  _ not _ an assassination. I heard that on the day of the Rite, the monastery security will be tightened considerably. Additionally, Rhea will be in the goddess tower, which is a rather difficult location to target, the entire day; it is possibly the worst day to plot an assassination.”

Edelgard replied, “I agree. We must also consider that the enemy may be targeting some other location in the monastery. The Holy Mausoleum is not the only possible goal.”

Linhardt rested his chin on his hand. “If their goal is something else, it will be terribly difficult to narrow down. Garreg Mach is immense, and not just above ground but below as well. Actually, their aim may lie beneath the monastery.”

“Even above ground, the monastery houses many valuable weapons,” Ferdinand said. “Perhaps that is their aim?”

“I hear the monastery has a treasure vault, too,” Dorothea added. “Seems like the sort of place a foe would like some alone time in.”

Hubert crossed his arms. “It seems to me that we should search the monastery for a clue as to what the enemy might be after. Of course, we should prepare for any case, even battle.”

Byleth had intended to do the same thing. “Yes, that seems like the best course of action. Everyone, search around the monastery this weekend for clues about the enemy’s goal. We will discuss our findings in class.” He paused before changing topics. “Now, we will discuss battle tactics in fog, due to what happened last week.” He picked up a piece of chalk, and class officially began.

* * *

It was officially the weekend, and Byleth intended to dedicate his afternoon to investigating the enemy’s aim. He figured that the best place to start would be the Holy Mausoleum, so he went to cross the bridge to the chapel.

At the entrance of the bridge, he spotted Edelgard. She was standing just shy of the bridge, staring at the chapel. “Hello, Edelgard.”

Edelgard turned around to face him. “Hello, Professor. Are you here to start the investigation?”

“I am. The most obvious place to start is the Holy Mausoleum.”

Edelgard looked back towards the chapel. “I agree; I was just about to head there myself. Shall we go together?”

Byleth nodded. He felt that having Edelgard with him would make the investigation go a bit more smoothly. “Is Hubert not with you today?” The two of them usually took on tasks like this one as a team.

“Actually, he stayed behind to dig through the library. We’re trying to cover all our bases.”

“Good idea. Linhardt is probably there, too.”

Edelgard looked a bit worried. “Now that you mention it, he almost definitely is. I hope they don’t get into an argument.”

Sothis commented out of the blue, “Ha! I would not raise my hopes.”

One of the monks directed them to the Holy Mausoleum. In front of the entrance was a single knight of Seiros. Byleth spoke to her first. “This is the entrance to the Holy Mausoleum, correct?”

The knight’s armor clinked together as she nodded. “You’re in the right place. As you probably know, the Holy Mausoleum is off-limits for every day of the year except the Rite of Rebirth. We have knights stationed here around the clock.”

“Why is it off-limits?”

“Honestly, I’m not quite sure myself. It’s a sacred place, for sure, but there’s not much of interest inside. There is really only the tomb of Saint Seiros, so I’m mostly just here to protect the place from any potential grave robbers.”

Edelgard chimed in, “Are you usually stationed here?”

“Yep. Most days of the week, in fact. I take one of the four main shifts almost every day.”

Edelgard nodded. “I see. Have you ever witnessed any potential break-ins?”

Byleth caught on to what she was getting at. The motives of other criminals could clue them in to their current enemy’s motive.

The knight shrugged. “Oh, not really. Like I said, no one really has much interest in breaking in. This year is a bit of an odd one, though. Since the beginning of the school year, there have been two attempted break-ins already! Both by the same green-haired kid. Not sure what that was all about.”

“Linhardt?” Byleth guessed.

“Yup, that’s the one. How did you know?”

Well, that hadn’t revealed any new information. They had already looped back around to what Linhardt said the other day. “He is one of my students.”

The knight leaned forward earnestly. “Is that so? You haven’t been doing the best job keeping an eye on him, have you? Although... I guess he hasn’t been around here recently. Maybe you have had a good impact on him, after all.”

“I’m sure the professor has done a fine job controlling his students,” Edelgard said. “Thank you for speaking with us.”

The knight bowed. “The pleasure is all mine. I hope you find what you’re looking for, Lady Edelgard, Professor.”

As they walked away, Edelgard looked a bit exasperated. “I thought that this would be a bit more enlightening. All we’ve managed to do is confirm what Linhardt was up to.”

Byleth did his best to reassure her. “Someone else might have better information.”

Edelgard didn’t seem convinced. “Perhaps.”

The goddess tower was just outside, so the two of them headed there next. Alois spotted them and waved. “If it isn’t Edelgard and the Professor! What are the two of you doing here on such a nice day?”

Byleth wasn’t sure how to reply. He didn’t want to say that they doubted the assassination plot. Edelgard rescued him, “We’re investigating some things related to the assassination plot against Rhea.”

Alois’ expression turned serious. “I see. Well, there isn’t much I can tell you, besides what I’m doing right now. I’m in charge of the knights who will be guarding the goddess tower, so we’re surveying the area for the best formation and any places that might need extra guards.”

Byleth glanced around. There were some knights milling about, but there weren’t any guards actively on duty. “Is this place usually guarded?”

“No, the goddess tower is only accessible from within the monastery anyways, so there’s usually no point in guarding it. Luckily, that also means that it will be very safe during the rite! Anyone who wants to get to Rhea will need to get through the guards at the entrance, the guards at the chapel, and us guards at the goddess tower. No assassinations will be happening under my watch.”

Edelgard crossed her arms. “That is reassuring. However, that begs the question: why was our class also assigned to guard her?”

Alois grinned. “You can never be too safe!”

“That is true. Thank you for your time.”

“Of course! Good luck with your investigation, you two.”

Back on the bridge to the monastery, Byleth remarked, “It does not seem like any assassin would be able to reach the archbishop very easily.”

Edelgard nodded. “This just further proves our theory that the enemy’s goal is not assassination. However, we still have no idea what the true goal could be.”

The rest of the afternoon passed in a similar manner, with the two of them visiting every possible target they could think of.

Edelgard spoke as they left the dining hall. “While I am sure the monastery’s wines are as valuable as that chef says they are, I highly doubt that any sane person would think them to be worth stealing.”

Byleth was a bit disgruntled. They had been almost everywhere in the monastery, but they hadn’t gotten any convincing leads. “The armory and treasury don’t seem to be very valuable targets, either.”

Edelgard pinched the bridge of her nose. “I am not sure where we even have left to investigate. The greenhouse?”

“It seems unlikely, but we should check there as well.”

Edelgard sighed. “You’re right. Let us go, then.”

They caught Bernadetta just as she was leaving the greenhouse. She jumped. “Ah! Hello... er, greetings, I mean! Greetings, Professor and Lady Edelgard.” She bowed. It was rather odd; she never bowed to Byleth before.

Edelgard looked a bit peeved; Byleth suspected that Bernadetta had only added on to her frustration with the investigation. She sighed. “Again, you do not need to bow to me, Bernadetta. And, please, just call me Edelgard.”

Bernadetta’s eyes went wide. “Eep, I forgot! Please do not condemn me! I hope that you will accept my humblest apologies, Ladlegard.” She paused for a moment and her jaw dropped in horror. “Wait, no! I meant Edelgard. Lady Edelgard. PleaseacceptmyapologiesI’msosorry!”

Edelgard put a hand on her hip. “Honestly, Bernadetta, it’s fine.” Bernadetta kept muttering under her breath like she hadn’t even heard her.

Edelgard looked at Byleth helplessly. Was every interaction between these two like this? Byleth interrupted Bernadetta’s monologue, “Bernadetta, everything is okay. We’re just here for the investigation.”

Bernadetta, who had hidden her face behind her hands, peeked out from in-between her fingers. “The... investigation? Are you saying that Her Highness will not punish me for my wrongdoings?”

He just stood there for a moment before hesitantly nodding. “Yes. She will not.”

Bernadetta breathed a sigh of relief and dropped her hands to her sides. She looked at the ground as she muttered to herself, “Great job, Bernie. You almost made it so we didn’t survive today.”

Byleth wasn’t sure what to do. He looked at Edelgard for help, who pointed at Bernadetta and then at the greenhouse. He looked back to Bernadetta. “Do you know if the greenhouse might be a possible target?”

Bernadetta’s head shot back up. “The greenhouse? I... I don’t think so. There are some rare plants in there, but it isn’t very expensive to ship them from overseas. I think. I don’t have a very good sense of money, but I don’t think it would be worth a fake assassination.”

“I see. Thank you for your help.”

She smiled. “Yes! I mean, you’re welcome. I’ll see you later.” She bowed before running off towards the dorms.

“What was that about?” Byleth murmured.

Edelgard shook her head. “I have a hard time dealing with her on a good day, but today I was already a bit frustrated from not getting any leads. Speaking of, we still never found any.”

“That means that our best bet is still the Holy Mausoleum. It’s the only place in the entire monastery that seems to be a viable target.”

Edelgard took a deep breath. “You’re right. We did at least manage to reaffirm our original suspicions.”

Byleth heard Jeralt’s voice, “Hey, kid. Hey, princess. What are you two doing standing around out here?”

Byleth was surprised to see him. “I didn’t expect you to be at the monastery.”

Jeralt laughed. “Rhea likes to send me away most of the time, but I’m needed here as extra security during the Rite of Rebirth, with the assassination plot and all.” He clapped Byleth on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you.”

“It is good to see you too. We were investigating the assassination plot today.”

Jeralt’s eyebrows raised. “Oh, and that’s why you’re out here? How did that go?”

Edelgard crossed her arms. “Phrased generously, we learned a fair amount.”

Jeralt chuckled. “Not much then, huh?”

“We learned enough,” Byleth said. “I think we have enough to plan our course of action.”

“And that’s all you really need. Now that I’m here, did you want to catch up? Unless you need to rest after today.”

Byleth was about to reply when he was suddenly hit with an idea. “Can you meet me by the gazebo tomorrow afternoon? We can talk then.”

Jeralt looked a bit confused. “Alright, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He raised a hand in a brief wave and left.

Byleth turned to Edelgard. “We’ll discuss it in class tomorrow, but it seems the best course of action is to guard the Holy Mausoleum.”

“I agree.” She smiled. “I’ll see you in class, Professor.”

“See you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7, also known as the chapter in which I discovered the existence of writer's block. If you're wondering why almost half of this chapter is dedicated to tea, it's because I just wrote about the first thing that came to mind as a way of defeating my little writer's block.
> 
> Anyways, it was still a fun chapter to write once I got it rolling! Not much happened this chapter, but I think a lot of things will be happening next chapter. I'm also hoping to post more frequently again, since the school year is finally over.
> 
> Until next time!


	8. The Death Knight

Blue Sea Moon

-oOo-

Byleth sat at the table near the gazebo, his tea set laid out in front of him and the pot of tea already brewing.

Jeralt approached the table from the other side of the yard. “Hey, kid.”

“Hello, Father.”

Jeralt took the seat across from Byleth. Glancing around the table, he raised an eyebrow. “You invited me out here... for a tea party?”

Byleth nodded seriously. “Yes. I thought it would be good practice.”

“Practice for what?”

Byleth crossed his arms in thought. Honestly, he wasn’t sure. He just felt that entertaining guests with tea was a skill he needed to practice. “... serving tea?”

Jeralt snorted in amusement. “While I can’t say that this sort of thing is my style, it’s good to see you adjusting so well to monastery life. Those noble kids are really rubbing off on you, huh?”

Byleth shrugged. They probably were.

“So, what kind of tea is it?”

Byleth picked up the teapot and quickly filled both of their cups. “I don’t remember the name. Something with pine needles.”

Jeralt hesitantly gripped the teacup’s handle, raised it, and sniffed the tea. “Well, it smells good, anyway.”

As Jeralt took a sip, Byleth started the conversation. “What is your connection to Rhea?”

Jeralt grunted in surprise and almost spit the tea back out. “That was... abrupt. Aren’t tea parties supposed to be filled with small talk?”

It was almost the exact same reaction as Edelgard. Maybe he needed to work on talking about lighter topics. “I think so. Edelgard said that it doesn’t really matter, though.”

Jeralt smiled smugly. “Edelgard again, hmm? Is she the one who gave you the tea set? I know you wouldn’t buy something like this on your own.”

“No. It was Ferdinand.”

Jeralt blinked. “Oh. At any rate, I don’t mind talking about Rhea. Or rather, most of it.” His gaze drifted to the side, reminiscing. “A long time ago, I was hired to escort Rhea. On that mission, I almost died, but Rhea healed me and saved my life. She was a good friend, back then. I owe my life to her. After that, I joined the Knights of Seiros and eventually met your mother, Sitri. Things stayed that way for a long while.”

Byleth took a moment to process that information. That meant his mother had lived at the monastery. “What happened 20 years ago? Why did you leave?” 

“Ah, that. It’s... painful to talk about, but you deserve to know. It has to do with your birth. And your mother’s death.

“You see, Rhea was the one who helped deliver you. No one else was allowed in the room, not even me, your father. I was stuck waiting outside until Rhea came back and reported that your mother had died during childbirth.” Jeralt choked up for a moment before continuing. “And then, she handed me the baby - you. And the thing is, you didn’t cry. I didn’t think about it at the time; I was just happy that at least you had survived.

“But in the following days, you never laughed or cried. Not ever. I took you to the doctor, trying to figure out why, but he didn’t know. The only thing that he discovered was... that you had a pulse, but no heartbeat.”

Byleth put a hand over his chest. He had already known about his heartbeat, of course, but it was odd to hear it out loud that he wasn’t... normal. He gripped the armor over his chest.

“The only conclusion I could come to was that Rhea had done something to you. I asked her about it, but she only avoided the question. I had no proof of it, but I couldn’t help but suspect her.

“I decided that I needed to leave. I needed to take you somewhere where Rhea couldn’t find you. There was a fire in the monastery that day. I took advantage of it to fake your death and fled to the mercenary company. You know the rest from there.”

Byleth stared into his tea, which had been long forgotten and had probably gone cold. “You think that Rhea did something to me?”

“Yeah. Or... no, I don’t know. I don’t have any proof, but she was the only person in the delivery room besides your mother.”

“Maybe it has something to do with Sothis.”

Jeralt looked a bit taken aback. “Sothis? You mean the goddess?”

Sothis, who had been listening quietly, bursted out, “The _goddess_!? Surely, he must be mistaken.”

Byleth looked up sharply. “Sothis is the name of the goddess?”

Jeralt replied, “Yes, it is. If you didn’t know that, how do you know the name?”

“Sothis is the name of the girl. From my dreams.”

Jeralt ran a hand through his hair. “Well that is definitely some new information.” His hand paused. “Are you sure you didn’t just hear the name somewhere else? Couldn’t it have just slipped into your subconscious without you realizing?”

Byleth doubted that. “She’s the one who rewinds time for me. I know you don’t believe me, but she’s the only reason Bernadetta is alive. And Edelgard, the first time. Do you think it has to do with Rhea?”

Jeralt’s hand moved from his hair to rubbing the back of his neck. “I... I have no clue, kid. I wish I could tell you; all I know is that everything is sounding a bit fishy.”

“Does the church have prophets or anything similar to that? Maybe I have the aptitude.”

Jeralt looked doubtful. “No. I lived here for a long time and haven’t ever heard of anything like that. Not even Rhea claims to speak to the goddess so casually.”

They sat in silence for several moments.

Jeralt continued, “How about this? I’ve already requested to stay at the monastery during the Horsebow Moon for your birthday and the anniversary of your mother’s...” He trailed off. “But I can request additional time off next week during the Verdant Rain Moon. I’ll do some poking around and try to get something out of Rhea. You tell me if anything else happens, alright?”

“Alright.”

Another silence. Sothis’ voice filled it, “I... what does this mean for me? Who am I?”

_I don’t know._

“Could I truly be the goddess your father speaks of? I’ll... need some time to think.”

Their short conversation was interrupted when Jeralt smiled, although it looked a bit forced. “I guess we wasted your tea. Sorry about that.”

Byleth had barely noticed. “It is no problem.”

“So, tell me about your class. Has it been going well?” 

“Yes, it has.”

The rest of the conversation drifted to lighter topics until they eventually parted ways.

* * *

On the day of the Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth, Edelgard stood with her class in a loose cluster outside the cathedral. The Rite had not started just yet, but most of the monastery’s security had already gathered in the vicinity. The students from the other classes were nearby as well, as they were all given the same mission: protect Archbishop Rhea from the assassination plot.

Of course, the Black Eagles had other plans. Once the monastery was open to the general public, they would dedicate themselves entirely to guarding the Holy Mausoleum.

She turned to Hubert who was standing beside her, “How solid do you think our theory is?”

Hubert smirked. “About the Holy Mausoleum? Completely. I am aware that no one in our class found any leads pointing to other targets; some might find such lack of information discouraging, but I believe that it only proves our theory.”

Hubert’s complete confidence helped ease her nerves a bit. He was always quick to reassure her whenever she doubted herself. “Well said, Hubert. We only need to wait for a signal from the professor.”

Hubert had just opened his mouth to reply when Dimitri approached the two of them. “Good morning, Edelgard, Hubert. Apologies for the interruption, but I was wondering if I could talk to Edelgard in private?”

Edelgard shifted her gaze to Dimitri only to see the same look in his eyes that she had seen over the last few weeks. Recently, he seemed to be frequently passing her outside and in the hallways on purpose. Every time, he would start to approach her, stare at her strangely, and eventually walk away. It was beginning to be a bit frustrating.

It was not the right time for this, but Edelgard supposed that the only way Dimitri’s odd behavior would stop is if she heard him out. “Hubert, leave us.”

Hubert gave her a critical look. She could guess what he was thinking: _Are you sure about this?_

She stared back. _Yes, I am._

After a moment, Hubert bowed. “As you wish, my lady.” He walked out of earshot and quickly got dragged into a conversation (or perhaps an argument) with Ferdinand.

Dimitri watched him leave before turning back to Edelgard. He shifted his weight nervously. “Edelgard, I...” He scratched the back of his neck.

She waited for him to finish, but there was only silence. She crossed her arms. “Is this about why you’ve been following me for weeks? Spit it out, then.”

Dimitri’s eyebrows scrunched in concern. “‘Following’? That is a bit of a strong word, but I digress.” A pause. “Your hair... was it always that color?”

Edelgard tried to hide her surprise. How could he have possibly known? Her hair had been white for many years now, and no one, barring those she knew personally, had ever mentioned its change in color before. The only traces of her old brown hair were in the form of portraits hidden deep within the Imperial palace. “As a matter of fact, no, it was not. How did you know?”

Dimitri shifted his weight back to his other foot. “It’s... a bit hard to explain. Do you know who I am?”

Of course she did. He was Dimitri, prince of Faerghus. He also happened to be her stepbrother by marriage - she felt a spark of irritation - which was _supposed_ to be a secret. Surely, he didn’t want her to say so out loud when they were surrounded by all of the other students. 

That thought gave her pause. Maybe he was referring to something else. “Of course I know who you are, Dimitri. You’re not making any sense.”

“On the contrary, it seems you do not. However, I believe that I know who you are.”

She made sure to keep her facial expression neutral, but her breath caught in her throat. For a moment, she thought that she had been caught as the Flame Emperor, but that would be impossible. Dimitri did not even know the name ‘Flame Emperor’ yet. No one in the monastery knew that name except for Jeritza and Tomas.

At her silence, Dimitri continued, “Who gave you that dagger?” He gestured towards the dagger she always kept in a blue sheath at her waist.

Edelgard’s head was spinning. She couldn’t follow Dimitri’s logic at all; he was jumping from one question to the next without making any sense. She answered anyways, hoping to get a clue into what Dimitri was thinking. She took a deep breath. “I do not remember his name, or even entirely what he looked like, but it was a gift from a boy in the Kingdom.” 

Dimitri just stared at her. She could see the cogs turning in his head, but she was just as clueless as when the conversation began.

She quickly became impatient when he didn’t reply. “Is this interrogation over?”

Dimitri blinked rapidly, as if she had disrupted his train of thought. “Ah. I apologize for all of this, but I believe I understand now. That dagger...” He glanced at the students around them, probably checking if they could be overheard. “Would you mind discussing this with me at a better time? Perhaps over tea?”

And now he was inviting her to tea? This entire conversation was a non sequitur. “How can I accept such an invitation when I do not even know what you want to discuss?”

Dimitri was visibly struggling, now, perhaps not knowing how to answer her with so many other students nearby.

Suddenly, Dorothea appeared from behind Edelgard, waving at them both. “Hey, you two. Edie, the professor sent me to fetch you. We will need to start setting up now in preparation for the Rite.” Dorothea gave her a pointed look. It was time to guard the Holy Mausoleum, then.

Edelgard smiled at her. “Thanks, Dorothea. I’ll see you around, Dimitri.” Before Dimitri had a chance to reply, Dorothea threaded her arm through Edelgard’s and swept her away. Edelgard waited until they were out of earshot to speak. “Thank you for the save, there.”

Dorothea winked at her. “I was going to fetch you anyways, but you looked like you needed some help. What was all of that about?”

Edelgard gave her a perplexed look. “I have no clue.”

* * *

Byleth stood in a corner of the cathedral, arms crossed as he waited for the rest of his students to arrive. In front of him stood Linhardt, Caspar, Bernadetta, and Petra. He hoped that the remaining students would arrive soon; the Holy Mausoleum was set to open in less than ten minutes.

After a minute or so, Ferdinand arrived with an irritated-looking Hubert in tow. “I have done as you said, Professor! Here is Hubert.”

“Good. Now we are only waiting for Edelgard and Dorothea.”

Just as he finished his sentence, the women in question came around the corner, arm-in-arm. Dorothea smiled teasingly. “You were saying, Professor?”

He nodded in their direction to acknowledge the two of them. “Right. We’re in a bit of a hurry. I only found out a few minutes ago that the Holy Mausoleum will be opening in five or ten minutes, a bit earlier than expected. Does everyone know the plan?”

Bernadetta spoke up, “We’re just guarding the Holy Mausoleum, right?”

“And we’ll beat up anyone who tries to do anything fishy!” Caspar added.

Hubert sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, that very well sums up the entire plan.”

Byleth walked past his students in the direction of the Holy Mausoleum. “We’ll head there now. Follow me.”

A guard stood at the entrance to the mausoleum. She was in full armor, including the helmet, but Byleth recognized her voice as the same guard from the investigation. “Oh? Welcome back. I see you brought that troublemaker with you today.”

Linhardt made a pained noise.

Byleth decided not to address it. “We are here to guard the Holy Mausoleum. Are there any knights stationed there currently?”

The knight waved her hand dismissively. “Nope, just me. Everyone else is guarding the Archbishop and the entrances to the monastery. I’m surprised that you all are even here.”

“I see. We will need to be let in to do an initial perimeter check.”

The knight got out a key and unlocked the doors. “Sure thing.” As she opened them, however, it was apparent that they had somehow arrived too late.

The entire mausoleum was filled with masked people in dark robes; one of them seemed to be investigating a coffin at the back of the room. There was also a dark knight on a horse in the middle of the room.

Dorothea gasped. “They were already here?”

“They even managed to bring in a horse without us knowing.” Linhardt said.

Byleth’s mind was racing, desperately trying to figure out the best course of action. He turned to the knight. “Go alert the rest of the knights. We’ll delay them until help arrives.”

“Understood.” The knight ran off.

He glanced back at his class. He was proud of how calm they were. “Let’s go, everyone. Prepare for combat.” There were terse nods all around.

The Black Eagles filed into the mausoleum. They were between the enemies and the entrance, effectively trapping the enemies in place. Byleth raised his voice, “Stop what you’re doing. You’re surrounded.”

The masked man by the coffin took a ritual stance. He shouted at his men, “Those Central Church dastards have spotted us! Buy me some time while I open the seal on the casket.”

That was problematic. Byleth had thought that buying time would be the best strategy, but they couldn’t risk the enemy undoing the seal before the knights arrived. “We’ll need to stop them.”

Byleth was concerned about the dark knight in the middle of the room. Both the knight and his horse wore black, spiked armor. The knight wore a helmet resembling a skull that completely covered his face, metal horns curling up above his head. He held a long scythe in his hands, as well; an unusual weapon.

Edelgard seemed similarly worried. “That knight is a powerful enemy... Let’s do all we can to avoid fighting him directly.”

Her wording confused him. The knight _looked_ powerful, but Edelgard seemed completely certain of the knight’s strength despite never seeing him in battle. Perhaps it was a slip of the tongue.

“We cannot avoid it completely. Ferdinand and Dorothea, come with me to distract the knight,” Byleth ordered. “Edelgard, Petra, and Linhardt, deal with the soldiers on the left. Caspar, Hubert, and Bernadetta, go right.”

His class jumped into action, and not a moment too soon. Petra swiftly dodged an arrow from a nearby bowman, and Hubert countered a dark mage’s magic with his own. Byleth and Ferdinand charged straight at the knight, Dorothea following not far behind.

The knight swung his scythe downward, and Byleth parried, forcing a deadlock. The scythe was heavy, but he needed information. “Who are you?” he asked.

The knight’s voice had a dissonant tone, distorted by the metal helmet. “I have many names.”

Ferdinand thrust his lance at the knight’s side, forcing the knight to defend against him and freeing Byleth from the deadlock. Byleth used Ferdinand’s distraction to slash at the armor’s weak point at the armpit; the knight recoiled and his horse took him back a couple of steps.

The knight spoke again. “Of all of my names,” he raised his scythe, “perhaps the ‘Death Knight’ would be most accurate.” He swung at Ferdinand, but Ferdinand had ample time to jump back and dodge out of the way. The moment Ferdinand was clear, Dorothea casted a Thunder spell at the Death Knight. The spell struck its target, and Byleth got another clean hit at the Death Knight’s side.

Byleth tried again. “Who do you work for?”

The Death Knight recovered quickly from the Thunder spell, almost shrugging it off. “I don’t take commands.” He took a swing at Byleth to force him away. Before Ferdinand or Byleth could reach him again, he raised a single hand and casted the same Thunder spell at Dorothea twice in rapid succession. Byleth could only watch as Dorothea dropped to the ground, probably dead.

Ferdinand’s eyes went wide and his grip on his spear visibly loosened, “Dorothea!”

The Death Knight was quick to take advantage of his distraction and slashed at Ferdinand. Before his scythe connected, however, he was pushed back by a Miasma from Hubert, who had just caught up after defeating an enemy on the right side of the room. Unlike with Dorothea, the Death Knight did not retaliate at Hubert.

Linhardt cast a healing spell on Dorothea from the other side of the room, but she didn’t move from the ground. Her glassy, lifeless eyes stared at the ceiling. Instead of taking the opportunity to land a hit on the Death Knight, Byleth froze time.

Sothis stood in front of him. “Are you sure? She might not be dead.”

Byleth stared at the body. “The healing spell didn’t work. She’s dead.”

Sothis’ eyes crinkled sadly. “I see. What will you do?”

“I’ll switch around the formation.”

He rewound to the beginning of the battle. He heard Edelgard’s voice next to him, “That knight is a powerful enemy... Let’s do all we can to avoid fighting him directly.”

“We cannot avoid it completely. Petra and Caspar, come with me to distract the knight,” Byleth ordered. Petra and Caspar were agile; the Death Knight hit hard, but it would mean nothing if they were able to dodge his blows. “Edelgard, Dorothea, and Linhardt, deal with the soldiers on the left. Ferdinand, Hubert, and Bernadetta, go right.”

To his left, Dorothea was grazed by an arrow, but Linhardt quickly healed it. To his right, Hubert countered the same dark mage as before. 

Byleth rushed at the Death Knight first so that he would be targeted, rather than Petra or Caspar. Just as before, Byleth parried the knight’s scythe and they locked weapons. He tried a new question; perhaps his last one had been poorly worded. “Do you work alone?”

The Death Knight’s voice was a bit hesitant. “... I work with the Flame Emperor.”

That name was new.

Petra and Caspar attacked the Death Knight simultaneously from opposite sides, but they both only managed to graze him before he leapt back on his horse. When the Death Knight charged forward again, Byleth lunged to meet him.

The four of them traded blows for a short while. It was a bit awkward facing a single target with three melee combatants, but Petra expertly weaved in her own short, swift attacks between Byleth and Caspar’s more forceful ones.

The rhythm of battle was broken when the Death Knight swung his scythe at Caspar and it landed with a sickening _crunch._

Byleth retaliated and managed a deep cut into the Death Knight’s extended elbow. Petra, to her credit, also kept up the attack; Linhardt would likely be able to heal Caspar if they gave him enough time.

Hubert hit the Death Knight with a Miasma just like he had done in the previous timeline. At the same time, Linhardt casted a ranged healing spell on Caspar, who jumped to his feet immediately.

The Death Knight was a whirlwind of movement, using his long scythe to deflect as many hits as he could from the three of them. (Hubert could no longer help, as he had been caught in a fight with a mage.) One of his arms had limited movement, though, and they were slowly getting through. He spoke lowly, “A healer?” His horse leaped back.

Byleth knew what the knight was going to do and immediately followed, plunging his sword deeply into the Death Knight’s side in an attempt to deter him. Caspar noticed a moment later, charging forward and yelling, “Don’t you fucking DARE-”

Even with a sword plunged into his side, the Death Knight managed to kill Linhardt with the same two Thunder spells he used to kill Dorothea. A moment later, Caspar’s fist slammed into him, knocking him clean off of his horse. Petra jumped on top of the knight and finished him off with a blade to the neck.

The Death Knight was dead, but so was Linhardt. Byleth paused time, and kept it paused. Sothis was about to say something, but he motioned for her to be quiet. He needed a moment to think.

Next time, he would take Edelgard and Hubert with him to fight the Death Knight. He had wanted the two of them, his most experienced students, to lead the other groups of students, but it was obvious, now, that the Death Knight was the biggest threat by far.

Additionally, he had noticed that the Death Knight had not attacked Hubert once over both timelines, even though Hubert had attacked him in each one. It almost seemed like the Death Knight was avoiding attacking Hubert, for some reason. It was possible that it was simply a coincidence, but Byleth decided to bank on the possibility that it wasn’t.

Again, he rewound time to the moment they entered the Holy Mausoleum.

* * *

Upon entering the room, Edelgard was not surprised to see the Death Knight. He was there on her orders, after all. She had sent him to help with the attack orchestrated by Thales on the Holy Mausoleum. She thought back to the month before she had left for the academy.

_Edelgard entered ‘Lord Arundel’s’ office and closed the doors securely behind her. In front of her stood Thales, the monster who wore the face of her uncle._

_She started first. “I trust that everything went well with Jeritza?”_

_“Yes. He will be taken on as faculty at the academy at my personal recommendation. However, I do not understand why you call him ‘Jeritza.’ Is he not Emile, son of Baron Bartels?”_

_Edelgard’s jaw clenched. “He no longer goes by that name. It is a relic from the past that he left behind. Call him Jeritza, or the Death Knight if you must.”_

_The monster’s eyes narrowed. “You cling to such useless sentiments. But it is no matter. I came to discuss a different topic with you today. It is about constructing a relic weapon for you.”_

_Edelgard kept her facial expression carefully neutral. “Oh?”_

_“With the Sword of Seiros securely in the archbishop’s possession and the Sword of the Creator missing, there is no hope for you to wield a legitimate relic weapon. However, it is possible to construct an artificial one if we have the correct crest stone. If we can get our hands on it, I will arrange for a new weapon’s construction.”_

_She didn’t understand. “Are you referring to the crest stone of Flames? But we do not know its location.” After a moment, it suddenly clicked. “It is buried with Saint Seiros.”_

_The monster grinned. “Correct. That is the assumption we are making, on the grounds that she was the one who killed Nemesis. I will arrange for some of those blind followers from the Western Church to rob the coffin of Saint Seiros on the day of the Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth. However, they might not be enough on their own.”_

_Edelgard understood what he was asking for. “You will have the support of my follower, the Death Knight.”_

_“Good. I trust that he will carry out the task without fail. Otherwise, there may be consequences.”_

_Edelgard clenched her fist. The threat was barely veiled, but she couldn’t say anything back. Thales had the upper hand, after all. “He won’t fail.”_

She shook off the memory; this was not the time for dwelling on past anger.

This mission was important, as it was probably the only way she could ever wield a relic weapon. That being said, she did not wish to see any of her classmates die on this day. She warned the professor, “That knight is a powerful enemy... Let’s do all we can to avoid fighting him directly.”

“We cannot avoid it completely. Edelgard and Hubert, come with me to distract the knight,” Byleth ordered. “Ferdinand, Petra, and Linhardt, deal with the soldiers on the left. Dorothea, Caspar, and Bernadetta, go right.”

It was the worst case scenario. She had instructed Jeritza to only attack her and Hubert when absolutely necessary; this could blow their cover if they weren’t careful. 

At least her classmates would be more or less safe.

Byleth ran ahead to engage the Death Knight first. The two of them locked weapons. Just as she caught up to them and prepared to strike the Death Knight, she heard Byleth ask him, “Who is the Flame Emperor?”

She couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath. How did he know that name? She hadn’t donned that costume once since coming to the academy. She shared an alarmed look with Hubert.

Was Byleth more involved in this than she thought?

* * *

Byleth saw Edelgard hesitate in her strike and heard her quickly inhale. He hadn’t expected such an intense reaction to a name she had never heard before.

Did the name ‘Flame Emperor’ mean something to her?

The Death Knight replied, “He is the one who allows me to spill so much blood. Including yours.”

Edelgard found her bearings and struck at the Death Knight. He recoiled from the blow, and Hubert used the opening to hit him with a Mire spell.

The Death Knight swung his scythe at Edelgard to make her back off and immediately focused on Byleth, the two of them trading heavy blow after heavy blow. It seemed that the Death Knight was avoiding Edelgard in the same way that he avoided Hubert.

Fighting the Death Knight was much easier this time around, since Edelgard and Hubert never sustained any damage. Byleth suspected that the Death Knight was a bit stronger than him even without needing to worry about his students, but Edelgard and Hubert both managed to land several substantial hits to tip the scales.

The battle continued, and the groups of students that Byleth had sent to the sides of the room killed off most of the Death Knight’s allies without sustaining serious damage. Suddenly, there was a bright light from the back of the room that faded as quickly as it had arrived. There was a shout from Linhardt, “He broke the seal!”

The Death Knight charged at Byleth again, but Edelgard stepped in front of him and blocked the scythe with her axe. “Go,” she said tersely. “We can handle it from here.”

Byleth didn’t have much time to hesitate. The two of them were strong. They could hold their own for a short time, especially if the Death Knight was avoiding attacking them as he had theorized. “Be careful.” He left and ran straight at the dark mage who had undone the seal.

* * *

Byleth left to deal with the dark mage, leaving Edelgard alone with Hubert and the Death Knight.

The Death Knight’s grip on his weapon visibly slackened, but Edelgard quickly swung her axe to collide with it.

The Death Knight spoke, “You still wish to fight me?”

She narrowed her eyes in determination. It was not the most ideal situation, but they couldn’t afford to get caught. Not now. “We must keep up appearances.”

The Death Knight backed up a step. “Then let us make it convincing.” He swung his scythe with his full power, and Edelgard just barely managed to block. Her axe absorbed most of the blow, but she was still forced back several feet.

Hubert casted Miasma and Edelgard lunged forward, her muscles humming with the power of the Crest of Seiros. The battle had begun.

* * *

The mage pulled out a strange, pale sword from the coffin and raised it in defense. Byleth struck the inside of the sword with his own, disarming the mage and sending the pale sword flying through the air. 

The mage prepared a Fire spell between his palms. Without thinking, Byleth caught the flying sword in his free hand and sliced through the incoming fireball. 

The sword glowed orange and red for a brief moment, and Byleth felt an electrifying rush of energy before the glow of the sword faded, taking the energy with it. He discarded his old, iron sword and brandished the new one at the mage.

The mage backed up against the wall and thrusted his arms forward, creating a blue shield of magic energy. Byleth swung his sword and it collided with the shield in a flash of white sparks.

He was struggling; he was pushing at the shield with all his might, and it wasn’t even close to breaking. Instinctively, he recalled the rush of energy from before. Suddenly, the sword’s radiant light pierced his eyes and there was fire flowing through his veins; there was a rush of power through his arms, the sword feeling like it _belonged_ , and the shield broke into thousands of pieces with the sound of shattering glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 4th of July to everyone who celebrates it!
> 
> Byleth learns the name of the Flame Emperor early! And he also knows that Sothis is the name of the goddess. Byleth and Edelgard slightly suspect each other for different reasons; I wonder what will happen with that ;D This chapter ended a bit abruptly, but next chapter will pick up right where this one left off. 
> 
> Until next time!


	9. The Sword of the Creator

Blue Sea Moon

-oOo-

Edelgard raised her axe and leaped at the Death Knight, her swing enhanced with the power of the Crest of Seiros. Their weapons collided with the _clang_ of metal on metal. The Death Knight had the advantage of height and weight, though, and Edelgard sprang back, landing nimbly on the balls of her feet and bending her knees. Hubert casted a Miasma, but the Death Knight simply sliced through the dark orb of magic with his scythe. 

He should not have been able to slice through the magic so easily. Hubert was reaching his limit.

Edelgard launched herself at the Death Knight again. She spotted an opening - his abdomen was unguarded for a moment - but didn’t take it, instead hitting one of his thick metal greaves. She had no wish to truly hurt him, after all.

She was about to attack him again when a bright light filled the entire room, emanating from near the Saint’s casket. She stopped in her tracks and looked towards the casket, only to see Byleth holding the source of the light: a sword. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the brightness. When they did, she realized exactly which sword he was holding. 

A pale sword, its blade divided into sections that resembled bones. A hole in the hilt meant to house the crest stone of Flames. The red-orange glow of a relic weapon.

The Sword of the Creator.

Jeritza had stopped attacking her, distracted by the same thing. His voice creaked out from under his mask. “That sword is... I see.” She could feel him looking at her, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Byleth and the sword. “What a pleasant surprise.” 

It truly was a pleasant surprise. The Sword of the Creator, one of the only legitimate relic weapons that Edelgard could use, was thought to be missing. But here it was, in her professor’s hands. If only the crest stone of Flames was in the tomb like she had hoped, she would be able to wield it properly.

Her thoughts stopped in their tracks as she watched Byleth inspect the sword, which was still glowing. If the crest stone wasn’t here, then how was Byleth wielding the sword right now?

Beside her, Jeritza was engulfed in purple light. He teleported away using the odd magic of Thales and his ilk.

Edelgard blew air out through her teeth in exaggerated irritation. In truth, she had wanted Jeritza to leave as soon as the battle ended, but she needed to put on a show for anyone who might be looking at her. She said loudly, “He got away. That sword... Why is it-”

Hubert walked up beside her. “It’s shimmering, almost as though...” The two of them locked eyes. She finished his sentence mentally. _Almost as though the professor’s crest is compatible._

_Almost as though the sword contains a crest stone. Even though it doesn’t._

There was a hole where the crest stone should have rested, but the sword was still glowing in her professor’s hands. That... was not supposed to be possible.

Behind her, the sound of armored footsteps announced the arrival of the knights of Seiros. Catherine was leading them. She raised her voice urgently, “Is the intruder here?” Seeing the Black Eagles standing over several bodies across the room, she deflated a bit. “Oh... Looks like you have this under control.” She pointed at her knights, “You! Round up any stragglers.”

One of them replied, “Will do!”

Catherine turned to look at Edelgard, although she addressed everyone in the room. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of the cleanup. Is anyone injured?” She glanced around as the rest of the Eagles slowly congregated around them.

Edelgard heard Byleth’s voice as he walked up behind her. “Nothing that Linhardt couldn’t handle.”

She scooted over to let Byleth into the Eagles’ impromptu circle. As he stepped forward, she could see the sword still glowing faintly.

Catherine nodded. “Right. Well, I’m going to handle the arrests of any survivors. You all should head upstairs when you can. I’m sure Lady Rhea will want a report as soon as the Rite is over. Especially about that sword.” Her eyes lingered on the sword for a moment before she walked away, barking orders to the knights.

That left only her class standing there. Ferdinand spoke first. “How could the enemies have possibly gotten into the mausoleum without us noticing? The door was even locked; we all saw the guard unlock it before we entered.”

“Maybe they can teleport? And they just teleported in from somewhere.” Bernadetta replied.

“Teleportation?” Caspar said incredulously. “I don’t think so. That idea is pretty out there. Maybe they just snuck in somehow.”

Linhardt put a hand on his chin. “No, no, she has a point. It is theoretically possible... perhaps the enemy has access to some improved version of Warp or Rescue magic. Utterly fascinating,” he said with a bored expression on his face.

“But from so far away? And at that large of a scale? The enemy would’ve needed to teleport over twenty people from somewhere outside the monastery to the Holy Mausoleum. I find that a bit hard to believe.” Dorothea said.

Edelgard hated to help them figure out the teleportation magic, but she had to point out the obvious, “The dark knight and his horse teleported away right in front of my eyes.”

Dorothea looked a bit unsure. “Well, it could’ve been a Rescue.”

“From where?” Caspar said. All of them looked around the room at the solid stone walls, which didn’t have a single window.

Byleth stated what they were all thinking, “The enemy mage would not have had a visual. A Rescue seems unlikely.”

Linhardt looked pointedly at Dorothea. She replied, “I guess the professor has a point.”

“While we are speaking of the professor,” Petra said, “Your sword is still having brightness.” She pointed down at the glowing Sword of the Creator, which was hanging loosely in Byleth’s right hand.

Caspar threw his hands up in the air. “Thank you! I was starting to think that no one was seeing that but me.”

“Do you have a way to... turn it off?” Ferdinand asked.

Byleth lifted the sword to eye level and stared at it. “I’m not sure. I can try.” He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The sword’s red-orange glow gently receded, revealing the original pale, bonelike material of the weapon.

Immediately after, Byleth’s sword arm limply fell back to his side and he slumped, almost falling over. Edelgard caught him as he fell towards her so that he leaned against her side. She was easily able to support his weight, but holding him up was a bit awkward because his body was a fair bit larger than hers.

Most of the class exclaimed simultaneously, “Professor!”

“Oh. Thanks, Edelgard.” The professor looked around at the class, a bit dazed. “I am fine. I just didn’t expect to suddenly feel so drained.” Despite his words, he didn’t move to stand back up on his own. Perhaps using the sword had taken a lot out of him; he usually did not show weakness like this.

“You should really go to the infirmary, at least until you feel strong enough to walk,” Ferdinand said.

Byleth replied, “I could say the same for all of you. After what happened, everyone should head to the infirmary as a precaution.”

Dorothea gave a breathy laugh. “It sounds a bit odd from you, given the current situation. But I suppose that’s fair.”

“But what will you do, Professor? Should we walk with you?” Bernadetta asked. The entire class’ eyes drifted to Edelgard and Byleth.

Edelgard worried that Byleth might try to send the rest of the class ahead and hobble to the infirmary on his own. He wasn’t necessarily prideful, but he tended to do things on his own if he decided on a certain course of action. Before he could say anything, Edelgard replied for him, “I will assist the professor as needed on the way to the infirmary.”

Byleth’s gaze shot towards her, giving her a rather unreadable - but slightly warm - look. It was always difficult to decipher Byleth’s expressions, but Edelgard couldn’t help but interpret this one as grateful.

“Well, hopefully we’ll see you there then!” Caspar said. 

Edelgard watched as Caspar left the Holy Mausoleum, followed by the rest of the class. That is, the rest of the class except for Hubert, who stood just beside the door. He was waiting for her so they could leave together.

Edelgard couldn’t help her concerned expression from showing as she looked back at Byleth. “Are you sure you’re alright, my teacher?” She lowered her voice dangerously. “And don’t bother lying to me.” She could be intimidating when she wanted to be.

Byleth looked at her squarely. “I am. I would never lie to you.”

Edelgard’s eyes narrowed slightly. She couldn’t bring herself to fully believe him. Others had said similar things to her before, but the promise was always broken in the end.

Byleth continued, “I should be able to walk on my own feet soon.” He stood up a bit straighter, as if to prove his point.

Edelgard dropped her suspicious expression. “So I see. Either way, I will support you as needed. Let us head to the infirmary now.” The two of them made their way to the exit, Byleth’s arm draped over her shoulder for support.

They had barely walked a few steps when the door opened, revealing Jeralt. Jeralt looked around the room, blinking as he adjusted to the relatively dark room. “Ah... I came here as fast as I could, but I’m a bit late.” His gaze eventually landed on Edelgard and Byleth. “What happened? Did you get injured during the battle? And... what is that sword?”

“I’m not injured,” Byleth said. “This sword was in the tomb of Saint Seiros. I felt exhausted after using it, so Edelgard is helping me to the infirmary.”

Edelgard added, “I believe that this particular weapon is the Sword of the Creator.” There was no point in hiding the identity of the weapon. They would both find out one way or another.

Jeralt stared at the sword. “A relic weapon? Don’t you need a crest stone to activate one of those?”

Edelgard adjusted her grip on Byleth. “You should, but...” She trailed off. She wasn’t sure how he was using it, either.

Byleth lifted up the Sword of the Creator to show Jeralt the empty hole in the hilt. “I used it just now, and it glowed like Thunderbrand does. There is no crest stone. Is that odd?”

“Frankly,” Edelgard said, “yes. It is. Without a stone, that weapon should be unusable.”

Byleth shared a significant look with Jeralt, but Edelgard could not even guess as to why. Perhaps that fact was meaningful to them in some way.

Jeralt put a hand to his forehead and massaged his temples. “Well, we can save that problem for another time. I came to tell your class that you’re all dismissed from guard duty for the rest of the day. You’ve put in enough work as it is.” He turned to Hubert, who was still standing a ways off by the door. “That goes for you, too. Hubert, was it?”

Hubert’s eyebrows raised incredulously. “Yes. May I ask how you know my name?”

“My son, of course. He’s told me all about you.”

“...I see.” Hubert put a hand to his chin and looked down at the floor, muttering something to himself. It was typical Hubert, really.

Edelgard was a bit surprised that Byleth talked about his students to his father, but she didn’t mention it. She addressed Jeralt, “Thank you. After that battle, rest will be much appreciated.”

Jeralt laughed. “Don’t thank me, Alois was the one who made the call. I just volunteered to be the messenger.”

“Does the rest of the class know?” Byleth asked.

“Yeah, I ran into them outside. They seemed happy about it.”

“I see.”

It was quiet for a moment. In the silence, Edelgard found herself particularly aware of the warmth of Byleth pressed against her side. 

Jeralt nodded at her. “Thanks for taking care of Byleth, but I can take it from here.”

Edelgard looked up at Byleth, silently asking his opinion. She was a bit reluctant to leave his side, but she let him make the call.

After a moment, he answered, “I’ll be fine.” Edelgard wasn’t sure if she imagined his reluctance. Perhaps he wanted to stay with Edelgard as much as she wanted to stay with him.

She shook off the thought; it had been a bit silly. Jeralt was perfectly capable of taking Byleth to the infirmary without her.

Edelgard and Jeralt took a few moments to swap places. When Byleth’s weight was completely off of her, Jeralt slung Byleth’s arm over his shoulder. Jeralt looked at Edelgard and Hubert. “Run along now, you two.”

Byleth added, “I’ll see you both later.”

Edelgard nodded. “Stay safe, my teacher.” She turned around and walked away, Hubert joining her on her way out the door.

She heard Jeralt’s voice behind her, “Alright, kid. Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

Edelgard and Hubert exited the cathedral together. Once they were in the relative privacy of the bridge, Hubert said, “Are we truthfully going to the infirmary, Lady Edelgard?”

That wasn’t even a question. “Of course we are, Hubert; it is on the professor’s orders.”

“I don’t particularly see the point,” Hubert said. “We are both perfectly healthy.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t underestimate the possibility of injury. What if one of us had been poisoned?”

Hubert gave a noncommittal hum.

“However, there are some _people_ I’d like to talk to once we’re done at the infirmary,” Edelgard continued, “And after that, I’d like to see what the archbishop does with the prisoners.”

She needed to do some digging. Somehow, the professor knew the name of the Flame Emperor. It was rather unlikely that he was directly involved with Those Who Slither in the Dark, which only left the option that either Tomas or Jeritza slipped up somehow. She would ask both of them what happened before making any further assumptions.

Hubert seemed to follow her logic. He smirked. “Such a venture does seem rather enlightening. I can’t help but wonder what we’ll learn.”

Edelgard huffed in amusement. “Hopefully, we will get an inkling as to how this turned into such a mess.”

The two of them went to the infirmary. Manuela wasn’t there, but a few of the Black Eagles were being examined by the nurses. After everyone was given the all clear, Hubert followed Edelgard to her dorm room.

After shutting the door behind them, Edelgard dug around in her desk drawers and pulled out a book. She turned to Hubert, “I’d like to speak to Tomas first.” She set the book down on her desk and pulled out a parchment, quill, and ink. “What do you think I should write?”

“Whatever you wish to write. I’m sure it will be marvelous,” Hubert said. Edelgard gave him an exasperated look - the one she liked to use when he praised her unnecessarily. After a pause, he added, ”There should be nothing wrong with keeping it simple.”

“You’re right.” She penned a simple note: 

> Byleth Eisner knows the name ‘Flame Emperor.’

Tomas, or Solon rather, would be able to figure out what she was asking. After giving the ink a moment to dry, she placed the note behind the front cover of the book and closed it.

“My lady, I can’t help but notice your sophisticated reading habits,” Hubert said. Edelgard was about to round on him for the unnecessary compliment, but she paused. The tone wasn’t right; this was no frivolous praise. She turned to face him, and his lip quirked in amusement as he pointed down at the book. Following with her eyes, she read the book’s title.

_How to Compliment a Lover._

She stuttered a bit, “I-”

Hubert pointed down at her open desk drawer, as well. “I must say, you were very thorough with your research.” Another book cover was exposed. _Saving a Dying Marriage_.

She felt her cheeks heat against her will. “As you well know, I do not actually read these. They are for communication purposes only. I must have grabbed some... questionable books off of the shelf without checking their titles.” It seemed she had been in the self-help section of the library without realizing.

Hubert bowed. “Of course, Lady Edelgard.”

Edelgard’s eye twitched, but she let the matter drop. It seemed Hubert had developed a sense of humor since coming to the academy. That was a good thing... although she would’ve been happier if she wasn’t the butt of the joke.

After that, Edelgard went to the library with Hubert, book in hand. She made sure her hand covered the title in case anyone saw.

It took only a few moments to spot Tomas, who was casually perusing the shelves. Edelgard approached him. “I’d like to return a book.”

Tomas spoke with a deceptively kind voice. “Oh, of course, young Edelgard. Come with me to the main desk and I can help you out.” He hobbled away on his cane towards the back of the library. He was a good actor; if Edelgard hadn’t known better, she would think that he was just a humble old man.

Tomas stepped behind a large desk. “What was the book you wanted to return?”

Edelgard handed him the book. “This one.” She didn’t say the title out loud, for obvious reasons.

To his credit, Tomas didn’t even bat an eye as he read the cover. “Give me just one moment, will you?” He ducked down behind the desk, and Edelgard heard the shuffling of papers. Then, there was a _thump_ from below _._ Tomas laughed. “Sorry, this old man is a bit clumsy.”

His laugh was a bit disturbing to her. “Don’t worry about it,” Edelgard said.

Tomas stood back up. “Was there anything you wanted to check out today, young lady?”

“Nothing in particular. Do you have any suggestions?”

Tomas smiled. “Of course! I have just the thing.” He reached under the desk and pulled out another book, placing it on the desktop with the cover face-down. “This is a personal favorite of mine. A real classic.”

The book probably contained his response. “I’ll take it. Thank you.”

“You are very welcome. I hope to see you again soon.”

With that, Edelgard picked up the book and left, Hubert in tow. She ducked into an empty hallway before looking at the book. Its title was in bold print. 

_Introduction to Dating, Courting, and Everything In-Between._ It seemed that Tomas found the title of her book amusing, after all.

Edelgard grimaced. “How rude.” She would take such jokes from Hubert, but something like this from Solon - or Tomas, or whatever she called him - was plain insulting.

Hubert was on the same page. He said lowly, “That man should know his place.”

“It is a bit odd he already had this book under the desk, though. Perhaps he somehow planned this joke in advance,” Edelgard mused. She flipped open the cover, and surely enough, there was a note. Its messy scrawl was almost unreadable.

> Is that so? I had nothing to do with it. How unfortunate.

That last sentence was a bit uncalled for. However, she believed he was telling the truth; unless she was missing some crucial information, Solon had no reason to lie to her.

She conjured a small Fire spell in her hand and incinerated the note - a trick she had picked up since coming to the academy. The note was small enough that no one would notice the smoke. She turned to Hubert. “Let’s give Jeritza a visit.”

The two of them left the main building and walked a fair bit before they arrived at Jeritza’s residence, and Edelgard knocked on the door. She assumed that Jeritza had teleported straight back to this building in case anyone checked up on him. After a few moments, the door opened. Jeritza glanced at both of them. “Come in.”

They all entered into the main living area, which was barren except for a single gray couch. Edelgard took the liberty of shutting the front door and locking it herself. No one moved to sit on the couch.

“Are you here... because we failed the mission?” Jeritza drawled. He voiced the words haltingly, as if it took a large amount of effort to squeeze out each word from his vocal chords.

Edelgard shook her head. “It did not turn out as well as I had hoped, but that’s not why I’m here. You heard the professor say the name of the Flame Emperor just as well as I did.”

“And you do not know... how he knows it?”

“That is correct. Do you have any ideas on how he knows the name?”

Hubert narrowed his eyes at Jeritza. “I hope that you did not have anything to do with it. I would hate to see you, perhaps, disappear overnight.”

Edelgard shot a brief glare at Hubert for the blatant threat. He never trusted Jeritza as much as she did. She said, “If Jeritza did have something to do with it, I am sure he would tell us, Hubert.” 

Jeritza said, “I have never even... uttered... the name since coming to the monastery.”

Edelgard was inclined to believe him. She trusted him. Certainly a lot more than she trusted Solon, anyways. “I see. Let me know if you happen to learn anything.”

“I will do so. I am...” Jeritza seemed to struggle to find the right word, “interested in that sword. And the professor.”

Knowing Jeritza, that meant that he wanted to fight her professor. She needed to delay such an occurrence if possible. “I am as well. However, hold off for the time being. You will get another chance for combat soon enough.”

“I will... hold you to that.”

Edelgard nodded. “That will be all, then. I will tell you when anything else comes up.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s go, Hubert.”

She opened the door and walked away without looking back. She knew that Hubert would follow her, ever if he was suspicious of Jeritza. The door closed behind them.

Tomas and Jeritza both claimed that they didn’t tell Byleth about the Flame Emperor. That led her to assume that one of them was lying, but she felt that they were both telling the truth. 

Another possibility was that the professor had some other way of getting information. There was a chance that one of Thales’ and Solon’s allies had clued Byleth in somehow. She wouldn’t put it past them. Especially if it was to undermine her own plans.

Well, thinking more about it would accomplish nothing. She just needed more clues. Perhaps she needed to ask Byleth himself?

No, that was too risky. She would get her information elsewhere. Looking up, she could see that the sun was already crawling lower in the sky. She needed to get back to the cathedral before Rhea confronted the prisoners. She was curious what Rhea would end up doing with them.

* * *

Byleth walked through the monastery on his way to Rhea’s audience chamber. It was evening. He had received a messenger only a few minutes before, who had informed him that Rhea requested a meeting immediately. 

The Sword of the Creator was strapped to his hip. After getting checked at the infirmary and resting for a bit, he hadn’t given much thought as to what to do with it. He figured that Rhea would decide what happened to the sword during the meeting, anyways.

While he walked, his mind drifted to Edelgard and everything that happened in the Holy Mausoleum.

The Death Knight said that he took orders from the Flame Emperor, and Edelgard reacted strongly to the name. Furthermore, Edelgard attested to the Death Knight’s strength as if she was certain of it, even though it was allegedly her first time laying her eyes on him. She seemed to be familiar with both the Death Knight and the so-called Flame Emperor. Did Edelgard personally know the people in the mausoleum?

It seemed possible, especially because the Death Knight had avoided confronting both her and Hubert directly. If anything, the Death Knight did not fully treat them as enemies. Actually, that brought on another question: did Edelgard know about the attack on the mausoleum beforehand?

No, that didn’t make sense. Edelgard helped Byleth throughout the entire investigation of the assassination plot, and she also helped figure out that the enemy’s true goal was the Holy Mausoleum.

She even seemed irritated when they didn’t get any leads during the investigation.

Unless that meant something in itself. If Edelgard knew that the target was the Holy Mausoleum from the start, it was possible that she was looking for clues she could use to intentionally _mislead_ him.

Byleth forcibly stopped his thoughts in their tracks. He was just grasping at straws. Edelgard’s reaction to the name ‘Flame Emperor’ wasn’t even that odd; he was just desperate to draw connections that weren’t there. He was making leaps in logic to make up for the fact that he was missing crucial information.

Byleth started walking up the stairs to the second floor, and another thought occurred to him. Earlier, when Edelgard said that he shouldn’t have been able to use the Sword of the Creator, he had shared a significant look with Jeralt. It was because Rhea did something to Byleth when he was born, and Byleth thought that it might have something to do with his ability to wield the sword.

Sothis said in his mind, “Or perhaps it has nothing to do with it at all. You are making connections that are not there.”

_Are you sure? The “Creator” sounds quite similar to the “goddess.”_

“We do not even know if I am the goddess!” Despite almost shouting the words, her voice wavered, as if she was unsure. “Do think more thoroughly before jumping to conclusions.”

_I guess you’re right._ He always tried to make judgements based on what information he had - the mercenary’s life had trained him that way, after all - but perhaps it was still too early to draw conclusions.

Byleth arrived at the entrance to the audience chamber. The door was closed, but a guard saw him and announced, “Lady Rhea, Professor Eisner has arrived.”

Rhea’s voice was a bit muffled through the door, “He may enter.”

The guard opened the door and Byleth stepped into the room. Rhea and Seteth were there as expected, but Hanneman was curiously there as well. Byleth heard the door close behind him.

“I cannot thank you enough for defeating those invaders in the Holy Mausoleum, and especially for protecting the Sword of the Creator,” Rhea said. “That sword is one of the Heroes’ Relics, and the most precious artifact in the church’s possession. It is also a weapon of terrifying power. For now... I will entrust the sword to you. Please, use it wisely.”

Seteth glanced at Rhea in a way that made Byleth think that they had argued about this already. “Lady Rhea, do you truly mean to give the Sword of the Creator to this stranger? We do not even know how he has the ability to wield it!”

Rhea’s expression was serene, as always. “Seteth, be careful that you do not assume. This man is no stranger. He is Jeralt’s child and also a dear professor of the academy.”

It seemed that Rhea knew something that Seteth did not. Byleth asked, “Do neither of you know how I am able to wield the relic?”

“Of course not!” Seteth exclaimed.

Rhea replied more calmly, “The ability to wield a relic without its stone is extraordinary. It must have been the will of the goddess that it fell into your hands.”

“That woman is sneaky,” Sothis said. “She answered you, but I did not hear a refusal in her words.”

_Yes. She probably knows something._

Byleth said, “Are you sure you don’t know anything at all?”

To his slight annoyance, Seteth answered for Rhea. “The archbishop has already said that she does not know.” He turned to Rhea, now, “I understand that the professor’s ability to wield the sword is extraordinary, but I fear that someone like Nemesis might appear again.”

“Nemesis?” Byleth asked.

“Nemesis, the King of Liberation and the first wielder of the Sword of the Creator. He was an ancient king of mankind who was defeated by Seiros over a thousand years ago. She was forced to destroy him after he was corrupted by power.”

That caught his attention. Seteth’s description matched with Byleth’s recurring dream, in which a warrior woman named Seiros killed a man named Nemesis. However, the battle had seemed more emotionally charged than Seteth claimed. Byleth could remember Seiros stabbing Nemesis over and over again, even after he was already dead.

“I have faith, Seteth,” Rhea said. “Faith that our friend here will not be corrupted by wickedness. I believe that the sword has chosen its new master after being sealed away for so many years.”

Seteth’s head hung low. “I... understand. As you wish, Lady Rhea. There you have it, Professor Eisner. See that you do not betray the trust the archbishop has seen fit to bestow upon you.”

“Thank you,” Byleth said. He didn’t particularly desire to keep the sword, but he thought it was the appropriate response. “I have one more question.” He needed to confirm something.

Rhea smiled kindly, “Speak, child.”

“What is the name of the goddess?”

Rhea’s smile fell. “You do not know it? Her name is Sothis. You must be careful not to use it lightly, for it is a sacred name. You are dismissed.”

Byleth bowed. “Thank you.” He turned around to leave the chamber.

“Wait!” Hanneman said. Byleth turned around. “Would you come with me to my office? There is something I’d like to confirm.”

Byleth nodded. “Lead the way.”

Hanneman led the way in silence, giving Byleth a chance to speak with Sothis.

“Yet another person claiming I share a name with the goddess,” Sothis said. “Your dreams are truly odd. Why do you have them?”

_I don’t know_. He was saying that a lot, these days.

“Well, it’s obvious that these things are connected in one way or another. We just need to figure out how.”

_And how do you propose we do that?_

“Oh, I do not know!” Sothis said indignantly. “I am sure you can figure something out with that little human brain of yours.”

_Maybe things will reveal themselves. We’ll just need to wait and see._

“If you say so.”

Hanneman opened the door to his office. “Here we are.” Byleth filed in after him and closed the door. Hanneman continued, “I believe that your crest, the one that we couldn’t identify before, is the Crest of Flames. It may seem a bit obvious, what with the sword you now wield, but there is only one way to confirm. Do you mind putting a strand of your hair in the crest analyzer?”

Byleth plucked out a hair from his head and put it in the odd contraption in the middle of the room. An odd shape appeared above it.

Hanneman’s jaw dropped slightly. “Ah, most people do not fulfill such requests so readily. But, no matter! This is what I wanted to see.” He grabbed a paper from his desk and held it up. It was a sketch of a crest. “I believe that what the crest analyzer displays is only part of the greater whole. With the entire crest right next to it, it’s rather easy to see that you truly do have the Crest of Flames. This crest was thought to be lost, but that is clearly not the case.”

“The Crest of Flames...” Byleth murmured, testing the words on his tongue. They felt powerful.

“If you don’t mind, may I run some tests on you in the future? I’ve never had the chance to examine such a rare crest before. In exchange, I will help you with whatever you need. I can help even out with your class assignments if need be.”

If all Hanneman needed was more hair, Byleth didn’t mind. “Of course.”

“Thank you. If you ever need anything, just say the word.”

“I’ll do that.”

* * *

That night, Byleth sat at the dock, his legs hanging off the edge. He wasn’t able to sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about all of the mysteries that had come up during the day: the Death Knight, the Flame Emperor, his crest, the Sword of the Creator... and Edelgard’s possible involvement.

Usually, he sat at the dock to fish and clear his mind, but the fishing rental shack wasn’t open in the middle of the night. He tried to clear his mind without it, but his thoughts just kept going in circles, thinking about the same things over and over.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of light, tentative footsteps against the wood of the dock. A few moments later, Edelgard sat down next to him, legs crossed and a hand resting on one of the dock’s pilings.

Byleth looked to the side at her. “Doesn’t the water bother you?” 

Edelgard looked back at him. “I was surprised to see you out so late, so I decided to join you.”

“You could’ve called out. I would have joined you on solid ground.” He didn’t want Edelgard to push herself just to talk to him.

“I am sure you would have, but I am trying to get over this fear, anyways.” She paused. “It is rather late. You should be sleeping.”

“I couldn’t. Shouldn’t you be sleeping as well?”

Edelgard gave a grim, close-lipped smile. “I couldn’t, either. Besides,” she looked out over the water, “I think I’m beginning to understand why you like it here. It is only a small pond, but I have become a bit fond of the... openness of it. There is no roof to block your view of the sky, nor are there high walls to close you in. I suppose the sea feels even more freeing than this pond, albeit a bit more intimidating.”

Byleth scanned his eyes across the water, but he couldn’t glean the same significance from it that Edelgard did. It was just a small fishing pond. “It is a good place to get fresh air. But I don’t see how this place makes you feel free.”

The corner of Edelgard’s mouth quirked up a bit. “That is certainly the normal response. I suppose my own musings have more to do with my personal baggage. Do you remember what I told you on that night before Lonato’s rebellion?”

“About your siblings. I remember.”

“I never told you exactly how they met such a fate. Walk with me, Professor?” Edelgard partially stood up, then paused. “I would understand if you do not want to listen. We can instead talk about whatever is troubling you, if you’d like.”

Byleth pushed himself off the ground and stood up. “No, I want to hear it. I would not know how to start sharing my own...” He searched for an appropriate word, “concerns.”

Edelgard stood up the rest of the way. “Thank you, Professor.”

Byleth got a bit hung up on the name she kept calling him: Professor. He usually didn’t mind the name, but he suddenly felt that the name ‘Professor’ wasn’t correct. Not in the current context. He felt odd being referred to as such during a moment between friends. “Byleth is fine.”

Edelgard’s lips parted slightly in confusion. “What?”

He realized he wasn’t being very clear. “You can call me Byleth when we’re not in class. The name ‘Professor’ doesn’t feel right anymore, especially when we talk like this. Friends call each other by name.” He paused. He wasn’t particularly familiar with the concept of having friends, so he wasn’t sure if he had assumed correctly. “We are friends, right?”

Edelgard smiled. “Of course we are; you did not even need to ask. Although, you raise a fair point. It’s only fair that I call you by name, Byleth.”

The sound of his own name felt significant, in a way. He rarely ever heard it, what with all of the nicknames he was called within the monastery. “Thanks, Edelgard.”

With a nod, Edelgard led the way through the monastery with Byleth walking next to her. The two of them wandered through the monastery with no end goal in mind. Byleth kept silent. He would wait until Edelgard was ready to open up about whatever was on her mind.

Eventually, she did, right as they passed the Knight's Hall. She started quietly, quickly gaining confidence as she spoke. “My siblings and I were... We were imprisoned underground, beneath the palace. The objective was to endow our bodies with the power of a Major Crest.

“I have always possessed the Crest of Seiros, inherited through the Hresvelg bloodline. But it was only a Minor Crest, and most of my siblings bore no Crest at all. In order to create a peerless emperor to rule Fodlan, they violated our bodies by cutting open our very flesh.”

Edelgard fiddled with the hem of her glove, and Byleth suddenly understood. This was the story behind the scars on her hands - the one that she had not been willing to tell during that night in her room. The scars probably didn’t stop at her hands, either. It was possible that they covered her arms, too, or even her entire body.

The thought of Edelgard underground, being tortured by an unknown enemy - the image made Byleth sick. His fist clenched at his side in anger at Edelgard’s torturers, whoever they were.

Edelgard eventually slowed their walking to a stop and turned to face Byleth. “Now here I stand, the fruit of that endeavor: Edelgard von Hresvelg!” She let the words hang in the air for a moment before toying with the hem of her glove again. “But that came at too high a price... The others were sacrificed. Ours weren’t the only lives devastated by that terrible process. Innocents died as well, without even knowing what they were dying for. And there you have it,” her expression hardened, “the truth of the Hresvelg’s Empire.”

The story was almost unbelievable. “Who is to blame?” Byleth asked. Knowing the identity of Edelgard’s torturers felt inexplicably important to him.

There was a spark of anger in Edelgard’s eyes. It wasn’t the same as the surface-level anger that she sometimes let out with her classmates. This was a different anger. It was an anger that ran deep, a fire that she kept carefully hidden. It was a fire that Byleth never even noticed until it shined brightly through her eyes from the pits of her soul, and he realized that the fire was there all along. 

Edelgard’s voice was laced with venom, “The prime minister and his gaggle of nobles. They had the Empire under their thumbs. My father, the emperor, tried to stop them, but... it was futile. My father was nothing but a puppet on a string by then. He was powerless to save us.”

Edelgard continued, “I know how it all sounds. But when you see my true strength, you will know I speak the truth. I have kept it hidden all this time, but... I will reveal to you the power of my second Crest.”

She held a hand out between them, her palm facing the sky. A crest appeared above it. The Crest of Flames. “I believe it is the same as yours... the Crest of Flames.” Byleth slowly nodded in confirmation. “When it manifested for me, I swore a silent oath. For the sake of my family and for all the poor souls whose lives were traded for my existence...”

Her voice broke, and the anger in her eyes melted into sadness. “For their sake, I will build a world in which... “ Her voice was thick with unshed tears, “such meaningless sacrifice would never be sanctioned. As emperor, I will change the world. I swear it.” Her eyes were watery, and she blinked rapidly to prevent the tears from falling down her face.

As Byleth saw the tears in her eyes, his unbeating heart ached. He wanted to comfort her, or offer his support in some way. But he wasn’t very good with words.

He stepped closer, and, not knowing what else to do, he wrapped his arms around her gently. He realized he was hugging her, even though he barely remembered deciding to do so in the first place.

The realization that he was hugging her made him unsure at first, but then Edelgard hugged him back, squeezing him tightly like a lifeline. He held her tighter. Quietly, he asked, “And that’s why you want to change the world?” It was a question he had asked twice before, but he only now had an answer.

Edelgard nodded against his shoulder. He was right, then, about what he asked her after they fought Lord Lonato. She wanted to change the world.

They held onto each other in silence after that, comforting each other in the middle of the monastery in the dead of night.

As they stood there, Byleth realized that Edelgard was important to him. All of his students were important to him, of course, but Edelgard was the only one he would’ve hugged like this. She was the only one that would have made his heart ache; she was the only one that he would have wrapped his arms around without thinking. He didn’t know why, but he knew that Edelgard was important to him in some way.

However, the thoughts from before wouldn’t leave. He couldn’t stop thinking about her familiarity with the Death Knight. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way she reacted to the name of the Flame Emperor. He couldn't stop thinking about her evaluating gaze.

She wanted to change the world.

She wanted to change the world, but he didn’t know what that meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This chapter got a bit out of hand, lol. It's over 7000 words, the longest chapter to date. Writing it gave me a bit of trouble, so I hope that most of the conversations and internal thoughts made enough sense. 
> 
> Byleth suspects Edelgard of personally knowing the Death Knight, and Edelgard can't figure out how Byleth knows the name of the Flame Emperor. Tensions are getting higher >:) And they hugged!! I am weak for hugs.
> 
> Also a quick note: I changed one of Jeralt's lines of dialogue in the previous chapter. He was talking like Byleth's birthday is during the Verdant Rain Moon, but it's actually during the Horsebow Moon! Oopsie.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Until next time!


	10. Keeping Secrets

Verdant Rain Moon

-oOo-

Edelgard found a suitable table in the yard near the gazebo and placed her chess set on it. It was a sunny day, but the tall bushes next to the table provided decent shade.

She knew that Hubert stood behind one of the bushes, out of view. She didn’t initially intend for Hubert to eavesdrop, but she needed to prove a point to him. Hubert still didn’t believe that they might be able to find allies in the other students at the monastery. Edelgard wanted to prove him wrong.

She sat in a chair and waited for Claude to arrive. Not long after, he slid into the chair across from her and smiled, “Finally! It’s been almost two months since you offered to invite me to chess. Do you know just how many chess games I could’ve played in two months?”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “Not many, I’d imagine.” There weren’t many students at the academy that preferred to play chess in their free time.

Claude kept talking as if she hadn’t responded, “You know, I denied all other chess games in preparation for this. I even made excuses! I refused all chess invites by saying I was saving all my brain power for my match against Edelgard.”

“And how many times did you say that?”

“Well, once. To Lorenz. But there could’ve been more invites!”

Edelgard resisted the urge to sigh. “I’m sure. However, there wasn’t much I could do. I have been busy, so it’s hard to fit something like this into my schedule.”

It was Claude’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “I’m sure.”

Edelgard narrowed her eyes at him, a bit irritated that Claude threw her own words back at her. 

Claude wore a faint smile. “It was a bit late, but I’m glad you finally invited me out here, princess. Next time, don’t make me wait so long, you hear?”

Edelgard was about to argue with him about the princess nickname - she had already told him not to call her that - and the fact that Claude was implying that there would be a ‘next time,’ but then she realized what he was saying. _Oh, this is Claude trying to be genuine._

The whole point of this outing was to get to know Claude better, so there was no point in getting mad at him. She took a moment to mentally calm herself down before replying, “You have my word.”

“Good. Now let’s play, shall we?” He gestured to the blank chessboard.

Edelgard took the lid off of the box she kept the chess pieces in. “Yes. Help me set up the pieces; you can take white.”

“Oh, giving me the first move? You’re pretty confident.”

Edelgard elected to ignore Claude’s tease. She couldn’t _always_ fall for it, after all.

The two of them set up the board quickly. To Edelgard’s pleasant surprise, Claude set up the pieces quickly - almost as quickly as her. It was with the practice of a regular player, not someone who only played on occasion. She said, “You seem to be rather familiar with the game.”

Claude waved a hand vaguely in the air before lifting a pawn to make the first move. “Sure, I’m a bit experienced. But I owe that more to a general interest in board games than any special interest in chess. I play any and all strategic games I can get my hands on. I’m definitely more familiar with games from my homeland.”

As far as Edelgard was aware, chess was rather popular in the Leicester Alliance. She tried to think of any game that Claude might specifically associate with the Alliance, his homeland. “Are you more familiar with draughts?” She moved a pawn forward to meet his.

Claude’s eyes went comically wide. “Oh, no, no. Not draughts. Although that’s a respectable game in its own right.” 

It seemed that Claude had slipped up somehow. The way he phrased it, it sounded like his homeland wasn’t Leicester at all. And by the glint in his eyes, Edelgard got the distinct impression that he had let it slip on purpose. She wondered where he could be from, if not Leicester. Sreng? Morfis? Almyra? “I see. I too enjoy board games, but I regrettably stick to chess for the most part.” 

Claude moved a knight forward. “Makes sense. I’m sure there were a lot of opponents for you in the Empire.”

Edelgard suddenly recalled a memory. For a moment, she could almost see her older brother, with light brown hair and smiling eyes, sitting across the table from her. She shook the memory off, and it was Claude again. “There certainly were.” She changed the subject to distract from her memory, “What games do you have in your homeland?” She mirrored Claude’s move, moving her own knight.

Claude moved a bishop forward - an attacking move. “We have a bit of everything. Tak, Moxie, the works.”

As Edelgard moved her own bishop, she made sure to remember the names. They seemed to be an intentional hint from Claude.

The chess game was a careful one, with Edelgard and Claude carefully imitating each other’s moves. However, Edelgard eventually sacrificed a knight, forcing Claude to move his king. By moving her pawn forward, she put him in check.

Edelgard decided to start the conversation she wanted to have. “You have a bit of a rebellious streak.”

Claude frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?” He moved his king forward to escape the check. His king appeared to be exposed, but Edelgard had no immediate way to attack it.

Instead, she elected to capture one of his pawns with her own. “Have you forgotten about your little escape from the cathedral?”

Claude’s face cleared up and he smiled. “Oh, the day of that church service! I didn’t expect to get caught, least of all by you.” He captured her pawn with a bishop in retaliation.

Edelgard didn’t return his smile. She moved her knight backwards, in front of her king, deliberating her next words. “Why did you do it?”

Upon seeing her serious expression, Claude’s smile faded. “Ah. Well, I’m not exactly what you’d call... a religious man. Not by Fodlan’s standards, anyway.”

“And by that, you mean...?” she hedged.

Claude leaned back in his chair. Lazily, he moved a knight forward to attack her weak square. “Who knows? I was wondering the same thing about you.” He was dodging the question. 

Edelgard finally understood Claude’s approach. She knew this game - information for information, given in small bits and pieces. It was a rather cautious approach, but it made sense, given how closely Claude liked to keep his cards to his chest. Edelgard was similar, in that regard. She replied, “I am not the most... devout follower of Seiros’ teachings. I am sure you can guess as to why.”

That seemed to be enough for Claude, because he elaborated freely, “It feels like the church could be hiding something. Although, that could just be my natural inclination to snoop talking. I could be making up mysteries that aren’t there.”

Edelgard captured his bishop with her knight. “No, I think that there may be something to that. Besides, I prefer it when people rely on their own power.”

Claude raised an eyebrow. “A bold statement, but I can’t say I disagree. I’m a big believer in the power of the hearts of men, as opposed to relying on some powerful, ancient being somewhere out there.” He leaned in conspiratorially, ”Just don’t tell the archbishop I said that.”

Edelgard nodded. “I agree.” They looked at each other, and Edelgard felt that they had come to a bit of an understanding.

Claude captured a pawn with his knight. It was an attack from the side. “Although, speaking of snooping...”

“Yes?”

He jerked his head towards the hedges beside them. “I don’t suppose Hubert is hiding right behind that bush? It breaks my heart, knowing that you don’t trust me like this.” His words were spoken with faux-seriousness, but Edelgard sensed that there was still some sliver of truth behind them.

Claude had already correctly guessed Hubert’s presence, so Edelgard decided to be frank. “I am not the one who doesn’t trust you.” She castled her rook and king - a bold but defensive move.

Claude’s shoulders relaxed a little. Perhaps it was because she had told him the truth so easily. “Ah, I see. Being a bodyguard seems exhausting! I’m glad that’s not my job.”

Edelgard felt a bit irritated at that remark. “Hubert is not my bodyguard.”

Claude shrugged. “Eh, close enough.” He used the same knight as before to capture her queen. It was going to be a tough game.

* * *

After the greater part of an hour, the chess game finally ended. From what Hubert could hear, Claude had won by a slim margin. When Claude left to go back to his room, Hubert stepped out from the shadows. Lady Edelgard looked at him expectantly. “So, what did you think?”

As always, Hubert gave his frank opinion. “Untrustworthy.”

Edelgard crossed her arms. “Did that conversation prove nothing to you?”

Of course it didn’t. Hubert failed to see how Edelgard thought that a conversation full of veiled words and vague understandings proved Claude’s trustworthiness in the least. “While you may have established _some_ sort of understanding with that man, it does nothing to prove how trustworthy he is.”

“That is true, but trust isn’t something that can be proven so easily. It is something that must be built up over time. It is unfair to judge someone’s trustworthiness based on a single conversation alone.” Edelgard uncrossed her arms and they fell to her sides. “Besides, I am not trying to prove his trustworthiness, per se. I only want you to understand that there is a possibility that he could be an ally, given the chance.”

Hubert gave a half-bow. It was a signal that he would concede the argument. “Of course, Lady Edelgard.” It seemed Edelgard had learned a bit about ‘trust’ since coming to the academy; Hubert couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with their new professor, what with how often Edelgard spoke to the man. Hubert supposed he should be grateful... although he would be happier if Edelgard didn’t trust a person like Claude so recklessly.

Edelgard nodded. “I believe that there could be potential allies within the Black Eagles, as well. To find them, though, I will need your help, Hubert.” It wasn’t a command, but it wasn’t exactly a request, either.

“And you will have it,” Hubert assured her. 

“Be secretive,” Edelgard added. “We can’t let them suspect anything until we are sure about them.”

“As you wish,” Hubert said. “However, be careful that you do not raise your hopes too high. There are no guarantees.”

Edelgard’s expression became forlorn; it was reminiscent of the one she made after her uncle betrayed her and her hair turned white - jaded, and a bit hopeless. Hubert didn’t regret his words, though. They needed to be said.

“I know that all too well, Hubert.”

* * *

Byleth sat at his desk, doing his usual ritual of grading papers before the day’s class. It was a peaceful morning; Rhea hadn’t given him this month’s mission, yet, so there wasn’t anything he needed to prepare for. He had been given a vague order to master the Sword of the Creator, but he suspected that he wouldn’t be expected to fight well with it until the end of the month.

While he was engrossed in his papers, he heard Edelgard’s voice above him. “Professor, may I have a moment?” He looked up to see her standing at his desk.

He placed his writing quill in its ink jar, leaving it standing up straight. He looked up, “Yes, of course.”

“I would like to speak with the entire class about something. Would you mind calling a class meeting today?”

If Edelgard thought it was worth calling an official meeting for, it was probably important. “I will set aside some time at the end of class. Did you want to discuss it with me before telling the others?” He was a bit curious about what she wanted to discuss.

Edelgard looked to the side and seemed to consider for a moment. “I would like to, but there is no point, quite frankly. If you don’t mind, I will tell everyone all at once.”

Byleth nodded. “It’s no problem.”

Edelgard smiled. “Thank you, my teacher.” She left to take her seat beside Hubert.

Once everyone arrived, class proceeded as usual. Caspar kept trying to ask questions about Byleth’s new sword, though. Byleth told him that they could talk about it later, when it wouldn’t derail the entire class.

Several minutes before the scheduled end of class, Byleth said, “And that will be it for today. As for the rest of the class period, I believe Edelgard has an announcement.” He stepped a bit to the side as an invitation for Edelgard to come to the front of the room with him.

Edelgard stood up from her seat and took the place beside him, facing the class. “It is not exactly an announcement, but I thought that you all should know about what Rhea did with the prisoners from the Holy Mausoleum.”

Bernadetta raised her hand.

After a moment, Edelgard looked at her, perplexed. “You know you don’t need to raise your hand to speak with me, correct? I’m not your professor.”

Bernadetta quickly put her hand down. “O-oh, right! I just thought...” She trailed off. “Anyway! Didn’t the archbishop just throw them in prison?” Her voice wavered. Byleth wasn’t sure why she was afraid of Edelgard, but he felt a bit bad for the both of them.

Edelgard shook her head. “No. They were executed.”

That was news to Byleth. He turned a bit to glance at Edelgard. “How do you know this?”

She mirrored his movement. “On the day of the attack, I went back to see what Rhea would do with the prisoners. She sentenced them all to execution for ‘a breach of faith.’” She turned back to the class. “Shamir listed their crimes. They were accused of inciting a Kingdom noble to rebel, unlawful entry, an attempted assassination, and an attack on the Holy Mausoleum.”

“Wait, a breach of faith, you say?” Ferdinand said. “Who exactly were these people?”

Dorothea frowned. “And the ‘Kingdom noble’ you mentioned is Lord Lonato, right?”

“Rhea seemed to think they were from the Western Church. Although the prisoners claimed otherwise.” Edelgard said. “And yes, Dorothea. It makes sense, given that the asssassination plot was found on Lonato’s body.”

Hubert added, “The Church of Seiros clearly isn’t as unified as it would hope to appear. It seems the bishop of the Western Church was always opposed to the church being ruled centrally from Garreg Mach. Perhaps they hope to remove the archbishop to completely strip the Central Church of its authority.”

Byleth glanced between all of the students. He was a bit confused; he didn’t know that there were separate Western and Central churches. It seemed that he was the only one who didn’t understand. He asked, “What is the difference between the Western Church and the Central Church?”

Edelgard said, “Oh, right. I forgot that you were raised without any exposure to the church. In order to function more efficiently, the Church of Seiros is split into several smaller entities. The Central Church leads the organization from Garreg Mach.”

“The Western Church extends from Castle Gaspard, where Lord Lonato rebelled into the far west,” Hubert added. “They can be found in the Fortress City of Arianrhod, in the Kingdom.”

Byleth nodded to show his understanding. “I see.” He had thought that the church was a single entity, but it seemed that the different parts of the church disagreed on some things.

Petra asked, “If they are all being from the same church, why are the prisoners being executed?”

“Well, the archbishop’s in charge,” Linhardt said. “Even if the Western Church has a problem with it, anything she says, goes.”

Byleth asked, “Rhea can execute criminals on her own authority?”

Edelgard answered, “Of course. The archbishop’s power is absolute. If she wants someone executed, she only needs to say the word.” When Edelgard looked at him, Byleth got the feeling that she was waiting for his reaction, just like she had during their mission to fight Lonato. 

Well, Byleth had nothing to hide. He only hoped that she could find what she was looking for, despite his blank expression. “That is... worrisome.”

“Yeah.” Caspar said. “Lady Rhea is pretty scary sometimes... but to execute that whole group just like that? It seems harsh, even for her.”

Bernadetta’s eyes went wide. “If one of us does something bad, I wonder what she would do to us!”

Dorothea looked straight at Byleth. “Professor... as a member of the church yourself, do you agree with the archbishop’s actions?”

Byleth turned to Dorothea, but he could feel Edelgard staring at him. He crossed his arms for a moment, thinking. “I don’t know enough to say for certain, but it does not seem right for Rhea to decide that on her own, especially if the prisoners denied the accusations.” He finally looked at Edelgard. He didn’t mind if the rest of the class heard, but his next words were meant mostly for her. “I do not agree with Rhea. I am not even sure if I trust her, due to another matter I’m investigating.”

Edelgard’s posture relaxed a bit; that seemed to be the answer she was looking for. She looked at him with wide eyes and a very slight smile. It was an expression Byleth recognized - hope.

Hubert laughed. “Be careful that those words do not leave this room, Professor. I don’t imagine the archbishop would take too kindly to them.”

“Of course,” Byleth said.

Bernadetta nervously played with the strings of her sweater. “Do you really think the archbishop would do something to the Professor? Would he be... executed?”

“Oh, Bernie, I’m sure she wouldn’t go _that_ far,” Dorothea said.

Linhardt craned his neck to look at Dorothea dubiously. “Um, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Bernadetta squeaked, and Dorothea glared at Linhardt. “Not helping!”

Byleth spoke up before the conversation derailed any more. “If that is all,” he looked at Edelgard, and she nodded, “then class is dismissed for the day. I will see you all tomorrow.”

After a shuffling of bags and chairs, the students all made their way out of the classroom, chatting amongst themselves. However, before Edelgard left, he called out to her, “Edelgard.” The girl in question turned around. “I have a question for you.”

“What is it, my teacher?”

Byleth walked up to her. It was quiet now, except for the faint noises of distant conversation. Edelgard’s behavior during the meeting had reminded him of the things he kept thinking about after the Holy Mausoleum. The things that he had been trying to shut out of his mind. He asked, “Back in the Holy Mausoleum, you said that the Death Knight was a powerful enemy. What was it that made you assess him so confidently?”

Edelgard looked a bit surprised from the sudden question. She frowned in confusion. “The Death Knight? Is that his name?”

Byleth suddenly realized he had slipped up. The only reason he knew the name ‘Death Knight’ was because he had asked him. And that had happened in a different timeline. Sothis angrily exclaimed, “Be more careful, will you?”

Byleth mentally waved her off. He said, “That’s... what I’ve been calling the dark knight from the mausoleum in my head.” It was a lame excuse, but he had an amazing poker face.

Edelgard’s frown disappeared, and she seemed convinced. If she truly knew the Death Knight, though, she would surely know that he was lying. She said, “I see. Well, he simply looked rather powerful. However, while we’re on the topic, I have a question for you as well. Who is the ‘Flame Emperor’ you asked the dark knight about? If he is one of the dark knight’s allies, how did you ever hear of him?”

Sothis hummed. “That was essentially a nonanswer. Could she have been any more vague?”

_Her question is valid, though. I only know that name from a different timeline, just like the Death Knight._

Considering Edelgard’s odd behavior and the fact that he suspected her, Byleth felt the need to lie. He couldn’t risk exposing Sothis to Edelgard when he didn’t know who she truly was. He didn't feel good about it, though. “I heard the name from one of the Death Knight’s mages. He yelled it across the room.” Lying to Edelgard left a bad taste in his mouth. It felt uncomfortable and wrong.

Edelgard’s eyebrows raised. “Really? I didn’t hear.” She probably didn’t believe that one.

They stared at each other - a nonanswer for a nonanswer. It was obvious that they were both hiding something, but they were also unwilling to give up that information to each other. Byleth couldn’t risk telling Edelgard about Sothis, and he assumed that Edelgard couldn’t risk telling him... whatever it was that she was hiding.

Edelgard eventually broke eye contact. “If that is all, I suppose I’ll take my leave.”

As she turned away, Byleth felt the need to say something. “Edelgard, wait.” She looked at him expectantly. Byleth didn’t like lying to her; he wanted to clear it up. He tried honesty this time. “I can’t tell you how I know the name of the Flame Emperor. But I want to, eventually.” There, that felt right.

“Why can’t you tell me now?” she asked.

There were a lot of reasons. He didn’t know who Sothis was. He didn’t know who _he_ was. He had no idea what Rhea had done to him as a child. He didn’t know what Edelgard was hiding, and the possibilities scared him. “There are things I need to figure out first.”

Edelgard’s expression was neutral. “I see. I wish you luck with your endeavors.”

The possibilities scared him, but he still wished to know more about her. He wanted them to be open with each other and share their burdens. “I hope that you will share your secret with me, as well. When you are able.”

It was a rather simple request, but Edelgard’s closed-off expression suddenly disappeared and her eyes went wide. Her lips parted slightly. She looked vulnerable. “I hope so, too.” The words sounded bare, as opposed to the cordial tone she previously dressed her words in.

They shared another significant look, and the rawness of the exchange made Byleth feel vulnerable in front of her. After a few moments, Edelgard turned around and walked out of the classroom.

Byleth eventually went back to his desk and sat down, more optimistic about the future. Maybe he didn’t need to fear what Edelgard was hiding, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a bit of a shorter chapter this time around! Hope you all enjoyed it anyways. I was going to make it longer, but this seemed like a good cutoff point.
> 
> Lots of suspicious/tense exchanges in this chapter. Edelgard is looking for allies, but it seems like she's unwilling to reveal herself in order to find them. I wonder what'll happen :P Also, what the heck is Morfis lol. It appears on the map of Fodlan below Almyra. Basically the only info about it on the wiki is that it's a "mysterious" desert. I'm not planning to use it in this story or anything; it's just a pretty weird thing I found after looking at the map.
> 
> Next chapter will probably be longer. Until next time!


	11. Gathering Information

Verdant Rain Moon 

-oOo-

Byleth stood in the middle of the training grounds, holding a leather whip. The Sword of the Creator leaned against the wall of the arena a good distance away.

He swung the whip widely in front of him in an X-pattern - a basic defensive whip move, if the books from the library were to be believed. Then, he flicked his wrist, extending the whip to its full length. The resulting  _ crack _ echoed through the arena.

He was slowly starting to get the hang of the whip, even if his movements were still a bit awkward. It would’ve helped to learn from an instructor, but there weren’t any masters of whip-fighting in the monastery.

Byleth attempted a more complicated pattern, mixing snaps and cracks in between larger, arcing movements. It wasn’t perfect, but he managed to create a fairly veritable defensive wall of moving leather. He stopped, letting the whip fall lightly on the ground.

Sothis groaned. “When will you bring this practice to an end? Is it not about time that you practiced with the real thing?”

Byleth wound the whip into a coil.  _ I was about to try with the sword, actually. _

“Finally! Watching you swing that glorified piece of leather around has become quite boring.”

Byleth walked over to the edge of the arena and picked up the Sword of the Creator, putting down the whip in its place. The sword glowed red the moment he touched it, and he could feel its power briefly rush through his body.

He went back to the middle of the arena. It only took a thought and a small flick of his wrist to extend it into whip form; he had only owned the sword for a short time, but it already seemed to bend to his will.

He attempted the same X-pattern as before. His movement was a bit sloppy, but that was expected due to the difference in weight between a whip and sword. He would need to get used to the sword’s weight.

He flicked his wrist, extending the sword to its full length. However, the sword never made the cracking sound of a whip. Instead, the sword only bent and curled in a snakelike motion. He had intended to crack it, but the sword wasn’t as flexible as the whip was.

He called the sword back into its regular form and stared at it. Maybe he was going about this the wrong way.

Sothis stated the obvious, “Maybe you should try something else.”

Just then, Byleth heard the creaking of the training grounds’ large, heavy doors being pushed open. He looked over and saw Edelgard stepping through the doorway, the doors closing shut behind her. She blinked. “Byleth, good morning. I was not expecting anyone else to be here this early.”

It was still a bit jarring hearing his own name from Edelgard’s mouth, but it wasn’t a bad thing by any means. It sounded nice.

Byleth nodded. “Good morning, Edelgard.” He was surprised to see her, too. It was currently the morning before class, so most of the students were still sleeping.

Edelgard walked over and stood in front of him. She gestured to the sword in his hand. “I see you’re practicing with the Sword of the Creator, today. Have you made any progress?”

Byleth glanced down at the weapon before looking back up at her. “Nothing major. I tried practicing with a whip first, but that seems to be the wrong approach.”

“A whip, hmm?” Edelgard walked over to the whip and brought it back. “Why don’t you demonstrate it for me? I can’t say I know much about that sword, but I might be able to offer some advice.”

Byleth tilted his head. “Are you sure? Didn’t you come here to train?”

Edelgard smiled. “I have no qualms helping out a dear friend. I am only here in the first place because I woke up earlier than I intended to.” She held out the whip between them for him to take.

Byleth took the whip. He had been a bit concerned about how the two of them stood after their tense conversation the other day, but it seemed that he had nothing to worry about. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem at all.”

Byleth showed her the same whip routine from earlier, and then did the same using the sword.

Edelgard, who was standing a short distance away, put a hand to her chin. “I see what you mean about the approach.”

Byleth retracted the sword from its whip form. “It doesn’t crack like a whip does, and the shape is different. Whip-fighting may not be applicable at all.”

“No, I think that the defensive forms were practical. They should be a large help, come time for battle. However, for attacking...” She looked off to the side, thinking.

“Do you think that I need to come up with my own moves?” Byleth asked. He was starting to think that he would need to invent a whole new method of fighting from scratch.

Edelgard shook her head. “Not completely, no.” She walked over to the weapons rack and picked up a wooden training sword. “It was designed to be a sword, not a whip. I believe that choice was intentional. Perhaps sword moves will work just as well.” She took up a combat stance, and began moving through sword forms off to the side.

It was odd, seeing Edelgard with a sword instead of an axe. However, Byleth couldn’t help but admire the skill and grace her movements had, even without her weapon of choice. From the way her jaw was set in concentration and how her eyes flicked back and forth, Byleth could tell that she was picturing how the Sword of the Creator might move if it were in her hands. The look of concentration suited her in an endearing sort of way.

She swung the training sword in slow, controlled movements, trying to feel out how they might be executed with the relic weapon. Her footwork was precise; it hinted at years of swords training. That fact struck Byleth as a bit odd, since Edelgard never carried a sword with her to battle. It didn’t matter, though; he admired her skill nonetheless.

Byleth only realized that he was staring when Edelgard stopped moving. She dropped her sword arm to her side and fixed her hair with her free hand. She smiled a bit sheepishly. “Ah, were you just standing there the whole time?” Byleth nodded a bit guiltily. He should have been going through sword forms as well, but he was distracted. Edelgard looked at him a bit oddly. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I believe most of the sword techniques I demonstrated will work well for your relic weapon, assuming you can control its length.”

“I will try it.” Byleth stepped away from Edelgard and gave the sword an experimental swing. He repeated the motion, but he extended the sword at the beginning of the swing and retracted it at the end. The motion looked smooth. Natural.

Edelgard crossed her arms as she watched him. “I believe that’s what we’re going for. Did it feel natural?”

“It did.” Byleth tried a few other moves. He could make his jabs reach further and make his slashes cover a much larger area than with a regular sword. He learned that upward swings were generally more effective in sword form, while whip form made a low sweep much more effective.

It was a simple solution, but he had not thought to try it until now. He felt a bit silly for not coming up with it before, in all honesty. He stopped and turned to Edelgard. “I should be able to practice like this from now on. Thank you.”

Edelgard smiled gently. “It was no problem at all, Byleth. I am sure you would have come to the same conclusion on your own, but I’m happy I was able to help.”

The interaction made Byleth’s chest feel warm - an unfamiliar feeling. He said, “You were the teacher again, today.” It was similar to when she instructed him on how to use the tea set.

Edelgard smoothed down a stray strand of hair. “I would not go that far. You figured most of it out on your own.”

Byleth thought there was not much difference between that and his own teaching style, but he let the matter drop. 

The two of them puzzled through more uses of the Sword of the Creator for some time. The door eventually creaked open again, causing them both to look towards it.

Jeritza stood at the entrance of the training grounds. His expression was as withdrawn as always, but his pupils noticeably constricted when he locked eyes with Byleth. He drawled, “You... you’re here.”

Byleth nodded to acknowledge him. “Jeritza.”

Jeritza’s gaze flicked to the sword in Byleth’s hand. “I am... interested in that sword. Spar with me.”

The request was normal for Jeritza, but Byleth thought he could sense a small amount of bloodlust behind his words. Bloodlust was an emotion he was familiar with, given his former line of work as a mercenary.

Edelgard quickly put her training sword on the rack and lightly touched the inside of Byleth’s left arm, lightly tugging him towards the exit. She said, “Actually, the professor and I need to be in class soon.”

Byleth peered at the side of Edelgard’s head, puzzled. Class still wasn’t for at least half an hour; it was odd that Edelgard was suddenly in such a hurry. However, he supposed it was almost about the time he usually opened the classroom. He walked with her towards the exit and said to Jeritza, “We will spar another day.”

Jeritza only grunted before Edelgard and Byleth walked past him and left the training grounds behind them. Edelgard let her hand fall from his arm and they walked side-by-side. Turning his head towards her, Byleth asked, “Why were you in such a hurry back there?”

Edelgard’s expression became guarded. It was an expression that Byleth was getting more and more used to seeing on her. “I assumed you might want time to grade papers. If your match with Jeritza lasted too long, we might’ve even been late to class.”

It was a shoddy explanation; even Byleth could see that. However, he stopped himself from questioning her further. They had already agreed to tell each other what they were hiding in the future. “Fair enough.” He would need to be patient if he ever wanted to learn what was behind that guarded expression.

* * *

Byleth was called to the audience chamber so that he could receive his next mission. The moment the doors to the room closed behind him, Rhea said, “I have a new mission for you, Professor. I would like for you to take your students into Kingdom territory to eliminate some thieves.”

That was an oddly simple mission compared to the ones he had received over the past few moons. “Did they do something to harm the church?”

Seteth said, “Not directly, no. They stole a Heroes’ Relic from House Gautier of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus - the Lance of Ruin. Their leader is Miklan, the disowned son of House Gautier; I believe he was disowned for his lack of a crest. You probably know his brother Sylvain, who is a student here.”

Byleth almost frowned, hearing that. Again, he was fighting a relative of one of the students.

Sothis said, “That only begs the question: why can House Gautier not just clean up its own mess? Surely they do not need to send us to fix it.”

Byleth replied,  _ I’ll ask for you. _ “Why must the church eliminate him?”

“The skirmish involves a holy Relic,” Seteth said, “and is therefore more than a single noble is capable of resolving. Now that you wield the Sword of the Creator, you should be more than capable of opposing any Relic.”

Rhea said, “The Sword of the Creator is a powerful weapon, well beyond the other Relics.” She smiled. “You have nothing to fear.”

“Do you have any other questions?” Seteth asked.

“Yes.” It was odd that Miklan would steal a Heroes’ Relic if he didn’t have a crest. As far as Byleth was aware, a compatible crest was necessary to wield a Heroes’ Relic. “How can Miklan wield the lance if he has no crest?”

Rhea’s smile fell. “He can wield the relic without a crest, but not to its full power. You should not fear him, but make sure you are cautious. The relic was still a gift from the goddess, so it still holds a fraction of her power.”

“I understand,” Byleth said. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

Rhea shook her head slightly. “No, that will be all.”

Seteth looked like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue. Byleth asked, “Was there something you wanted to add, Seteth?”

Rhea frowned ever so slightly, and Seteth shook his head. “No, it’s nothing. You are dismissed.”

Byleth nodded, turned around, and left the audience chamber. As he walked down the hallway, Sothis said, “I do wonder what that man wanted to say. It better not have been too important.”

_ It was probably nothing. Maybe he wanted to lecture me about the Sword of the Creator. _

“Hmm... I doubt that. Would he not have just lectured you if he wanted to?”

Byleth shrugged.  _ Either way, we’ll never know. _

Sothis sighed. “You are correct about that.” Her voice turned mischievous, “If only we could go back in time and get it out of him.”

_ No. _

Sothis laughed. “Oh, I know. I am only teasing.” Byleth was amused by her antics. Sothis added, “Say, we are going to the library soon, are we not? We must research more about my past.”

_ Yes, when do you want to go? _

“Hmm... tomorrow! Be prepared! You will need to turn the pages for me.”

It was something Byleth had gotten used to, with all of the reading Sothis liked to do at night.  _ Of course. We’ll go tomorrow, then. _

* * *

Edelgard found herself in the library one day after class, intending to do some actual research instead of just communicating with Tomas. Hubert was somewhere in the library as well, although she wasn’t sure exactly where he went after they split up at the entrance.

She was here to follow up on the hint that Claude had given her during their chess match. He had hinted that he wasn’t originally from the Leicester Alliance, so she wanted to deduce where he was actually from. She decided to try the history section first.

As she perused the shelves, nothing seemed to stand out. Most of the books here were either about political or religious history, which made sense given the library was in Garreg Mach monastery. There were a few titles on the history of trade, but Edelgard assumed she wouldn’t find anything useful there.

After a few minutes of looking, one book caught her eye:  _ History of Strategy Games. _ It seemed promising. Flipping through the pages though, she became less enthusiastic. All the games were ones she recognized: chess, go bang, and draughts, among others. The book was about the history of board games, but it was only limited to Fodlan. She kept it with her anyways; it was possible that Claude was from the Kingdom or the Empire.

Edelgard turned to leave and find a different aisle, but Tomas hobbled into her path. His eyes crinkled in a smile. He said, “Oh, young Edelgard. Do you wish to check out or return a book today?” This behavior was expected. He was checking to make sure she didn’t have a message for him.

Edelgard plastered a smile on her face. It was just as fake Tomas’ smile. “I thank you for your concern, but not today. I am simply browsing.”

“Very well,” he said. “Just let me know if you need anything. I’ll be right at my desk.”

“Thank you.”

Tomas hobbled away, and some of the tension left Edelgard’s shoulders. She had never fully gotten used to interacting with his kind.

Once she was sure Tomas was a good distance away, Edelgard left the history aisle and looked through the other shelves. She decided to try her luck with the miscellaneous aisle. The books on the shelf seemed to be organized alphabetically instead of categorically, perhaps because not many of them were on similar topics. That made it fairly easy for her to find what she was looking for.

Claude had mentioned two games in particular: Tak and Moxie. A book on Moxie was surprisingly easy to find, as it was just titled  _ Moxie. _ Tak, however, was nowhere to be found. For good measure, Edelgard picked up a book on chess.  _ Chess: a strategy guide. _

Looking through the ‘H’ section - for history - yielded better results. She picked up a book that was simply titled  _ History of Tak. _

With her four books held securely under her arm, Edelgard made her way to the middle of the library, where tables with four seats each were scattered around for the sake of studying.

Glancing around at the tables, Edelgard was surprised to see Byleth sitting at one of the tables. He had one book propped up in his hands to read, while another book was laying open on the table by his elbow.

Edelgard hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to join him. There was most likely no harm in doing so, considering he was sitting alone. She walked over and placed her stack of books at the seat across from him. “Do you mind if I sit here?” She kept her voice low because they were in a study area.

Byleth looked up from his book, and Edelgard could’ve sworn that his eyes softened when he saw her. Which was an odd thought, considering how expressionless he was as a person. He said, “Not at all,” before going back to reading.

Edelgard took that as her queue to sit down in the chair across from his. Out of curiosity, she read the title of the book he was reading.  _ On the Teachings of the Church of Seiros. _ Edelgard frowned a bit. It was a bit disturbing to see her professor reading about the teachings of the church she intended to fight against.

Byleth looked up again, probably noticing her frown from the corner of his eye. “Is something wrong?”

Edelgard mentally chided herself for letting her emotions slip so easily. “It’s nothing important, really. Why did you choose to read that book in particular?”

Byleth closed the book most of the way to read the title before looking back at her. “Oh. You’re averse to this sort of thing.”

Edelgard’s mind reeled. That wasn’t an insight she was expecting, at least from Byleth. Perhaps she had been a bit too obvious about her dislike of the church.

Byleth continued, “I got the gist of the church’s teachings from Rhea, but there’s something I need to figure out about the goddess.” Byleth reached over to the book that was laying flat on the table and absently turned the page, which was odd, since he wasn’t reading that one.

“What in particular?”

“Her origins, mostly. Her past.”

She would be lying if she said that Byleth’s interest in the church didn’t bother her, but there was nothing to be done. Suddenly, the thought hit her that maybe  _ this _ was the thing he had alluded to back in the classroom. Why he needed to ‘figure out’ something involving the goddess, though, she had no idea. Edelgard said, “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Byleth nodded. “Thank you.” After a pause, he asked, “What are you researching? Board games?”

Edelgard blinked confusedly. She had forgotten how odd her own collection of titles was. “This is for a personal project. Board games are a personal interest of mine, but I’m afraid this project is only tangentially related to that.”

“Hopefully your research goes well.”

Before Edelgard could reply, she heard the chair next to her scrape across the floor and looked over to see Hubert sitting in it. He had a single book in his hands, although she couldn’t see the title. “Lady Edelgard,” he greeted. A little less politely, he added, “Professor.”

“Hubert,” Byleth replied. He flipped the page of the book next to him. Again, odd, but Edelgard elected not to comment on it.

With that, the conversation died, and Edelgard finally decided to go through her reading material. Hubert glared at Byleth, probably for distracting Edelgard with conversation, but he dropped his glare after Edelgard roughly nudged him under the table using her elbow. It wasn’t the time for Hubert’s misplaced animosity.

Edelgard didn’t have much faith in what her general strategy game book had to offer, so she started with  _ History of Tak. _ She skimmed a bit before finding a good excerpt.

> While Tak is not very well-known in the continent of Fodlan, it is significantly widespread in countries to the east. It is thought to have been invented in the land of Morfis, but there are currently not enough trustworthy sources on Morfis to confirm this fact. Nevertheless, Tak spread quickly throughout Morfis and Almyra, eventually even reaching parts of the Sreng region and the eastern cities of the Leicester Alliance.

That didn’t help narrow it down much further, but Edelgard guessed that Claude was probably from either Morfis or Almyra, judging from that short excerpt. She picked up the book on Moxie to see if her theory was correct.

> Moxie is a staple game of the country of Almyra. It is most popular within the various echelons of Almyran royalty, but it is not unusual to see commoners playing the game in their homes and taverns. It is played on a circular playing board, which is reminiscent of Almyra’s national emblem.

Edelgard read a bit further, but there wasn’t much more useful information. She closed the book on Moxie and picked up her pile of books to return them to the shelves.

If her suspicions were correct, Claude had connections with Almyra. She did not know their significance nor their extent, but she was certain that this was the information that Claude was trying to give her.

* * *

A couple weeks later, Byleth entered his father’s office, closing the door behind him. Jeralt looked up from a paper on his desk. “Hey, kid.”

“You sent for me?”

Jeralt stood from the chair behind his desk and walked over to one of the small couches in the middle of the room. As he sat down, he said, “Yeah. It’s about the... poking around I did recently.”

Byleth nodded in understanding, remembering their conversation over tea not too long ago. He took a seat on the couch opposite of his father. “What did you find?”

Jeralt released a long breath. “Not much, if we’re being honest here. Rhea is a tough woman to crack. But I’ll tell you what I do know. Basically, Rhea has known your identity the whole time.”

“My identity?” Byleth was a bit confused. He hadn’t been trying to hide his identity in any way.

Jeralt’s eyes widened as he realized the misunderstanding. “Oh, that was probably a bad way to phrase it. What I mean is that she knows that you and Sitri’s child are the same person. She knows that I faked your death.”

Byleth leaned forward a bit. “So, she knew that the day we came to the monastery wasn’t the first time we met? She even asked for my name.”

Jeralt nodded. “That would be my guess. She was pretending for some reason.”

“Because of whatever she did to me as a child.” It would make sense, considering Rhea also seemed to be hiding the reason why Byleth could wield the Sword of the Creator.

“That’s a bit of a leap in logic, but, yes, I think so. I can’t see any other reason for her to lie like that.”

“She is probably also hiding the reason I can wield the Sword of the Creator, judging from my last meeting with her.” Byleth tilted his head. “Is that all you found out?”

Jeralt ran a hand through his hair. “Ha, about that. I just went to her straight up and asked her what she did to you all those years ago.”

Byleth shot Jeralt a flat look. Most of his looks were flat, but he knew his father would get the point:  _ subtle of you. _

Although Jeralt couldn’t hear, Sothis added, “Your father does not think things through sometimes.”

Jeralt recoiled a bit, taken aback. “Hey! You know I’m not the best at these sorts of things. I’m not really the right type of person to send on a stealth mission. Or a reconnaissance mission, or whatever this was. You and I are similar in that aspect.”

Byleth nodded, conceding the point. He wasn’t very good at handling delicate matters, either. “What did she say?”

“As expected, she denied doing anything to you. But the moment I asked the question, her expression closed off, like she was hiding something. I know most people around here find Rhea pretty unreadable all the time, but I know her. She’s usually open, at least with me, but she closed up at that moment.”

Sothis said, “It seems we are not the only ones Rhea is hiding things from. Unless, of course, she is not hiding anything at all.”

_ At this point, it’s obvious that something is going on. _

“Fair,” Sothis simply stated.

Out loud, Byleth said, “Another reason to suspect her, then.”

Jeralt nodded. “Unfortunately, that’s the best I’ve got.” His shoulder lifted in a small half-shrug. “Right after I left, I heard Rhea and Seteth arguing behind the door, but I couldn’t hear what they were talking about. If I were to guess, I’d say that Seteth suspects her of doing something as well.”

Byleth put his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together, thinking. In the end, Jeralt’s snooping hadn’t amounted to much; they already suspected Rhea, so this wasn’t anything new. However, any evidence was good evidence. If things like this kept piling up, they would probably eventually have their answer on what Rhea did 20 years ago. “It’s not much, but it’s helpful. Thanks. I hope that we’re able to get to the bottom of this.”

Jeralt smiled. “It’s no problem at all. Always willing to help out my favorite son.” He patted Byleth on the shoulder before leaning back in his seat. “You know, I didn’t want to mention it before, but you’ve been getting better at using the word ‘I.’”

Byleth sat up a bit from his hunched over position. “I?”

“What you said just now reminded me of it. ‘I hope.’ Before, you used to always state things as facts without relating them to yourself. Since coming to the monastery, though, you’ve been better. You tell people your thoughts and opinions more often now. I’m proud of you.”

Byleth put his hand on the back of his neck, unused to such obvious praise. “Thanks.” He was glad to hear it, considering how much trouble he had expressing his emotions. It seemed that he was improving, at least a little bit. After a pause, he said, “The Black Eagles’ mission for this month is to neutralize the bandits led by Sylvain’s older brother. Sylvain will probably be negatively affected, but he will most likely ask to come along.”

Jeralt let out a long, dramatic sigh, shaking his head. “Did I jinx it? The moment I said it out loud, you slipped back into your old habits. How do  _ you _ feel about the mission, kid?”

Byleth blinked. Right, he was trying to express himself more. “If Sylvain asks to come as I expect, I will let him, even though I am a bit concerned for his well-being. Hopefully, he will be able to find the closure he needs.”

Jeralt smiled. “Better.” After a moment, his smile dropped. “I hope that kid can find some closure, too. Seems like a terrible situation to be in. Sylvain... right? The kid’s reputation precedes him; I hear stories about him all the time from the female knights.”

Oddly, Byleth felt the need to defend him. “His behavior is... questionable, but he isn’t a bad person.”

Sothis commented, “‘Questionable’ is a large understatement, if you ask me.”

Chuckling, Jeralt said, “Oh, I’m sure. Seems like you’re already thinking of him as one of your students, from the looks of it.”

Byleth wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “I am?”

“Well, I mean, he’s tagged along on one of your class’ missions before, right? And you seem pretty certain he’s gonna tag along with you guys again. If he ends up transferring to the Black Eagles, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Hmm.” The idea of transferring a student to his class wasn’t something Byleth had even considered before. 

Jeralt continued, “I’m not sure he’ll say yes, but if the mission goes well, I’d suggest that you send him an invitation.”

Byleth hummed. “I’ll think about it.” To Sothis, he asked,  _ How would you feel about it? _

Byleth couldn’t see Sothis, but he could feel her confusion. “Me? I suppose I would need to deal with him just as much as you would. Truthfully, I would not mind. The decision rests on you.”

_ I see. Thank you. _

“Hey, do not thank me! It is not as if I were doing you a favor!”

_ I’m sure. _

Sothis breathed out a long, dramatic sigh. “You humans are so simple. Dumb. Single-minded. Why do I even put up with you?” She paused. “And before you say anything, it is certainly not because I care!”

Byleth wasn’t planning to say anything either way, but Sothis’ indignation was rather amusing.

He almost felt like smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It took a bit of extra effort to get this chapter to a point where I was satisfied with it, so I hope that effort paid off.
> 
> Byleth and Edelgard are both looking into some things that they've been wondering about! And of course, they happened to run into each other in the library because this is fanfiction. Also I put in that scene of Byleth trying to figure out the sword to show that the Sword of the Creator is something that takes effort to master. Byleth can't just starting swinging and hope it turns out all right!! Practice is the key to success.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chap. Until next time!


	12. Demonic Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: some slightly graphic violence.  
> If you want to skip it: when the demonic beast appears, skip to the next horizontal line break!

Verdant Rain Moon

-oOo-

The Black Eagles’ mission for the month was to eliminate the thieves led by Miklan Gautier in the Kingdom. Miklan had allegedly stolen a Heroes’ Relic - the Lance of Ruin - from House Gautier, and the Black Eagles were tasked with getting the weapon back.

According to Seteth, Miklan was the disowned son of House Gautier; his lack of a crest made him an unsuitable heir in House Gautier’s eyes. Miklan was also Sylvain’s brother. Byleth thought that disowning someone only because of a lack of crest was unreasonably cruel, but he supposed it didn’t matter for the mission. It was possible that he simply didn’t understand enough about Kingdom customs.

His class would travel to the Kingdom and eliminate the thieves at the end of the month. It seemed a bit long to wait, considering Miklan had stolen the relic around the time of the Rite of Rebirth, but the thieves seemed to be staying put in their stolen hideout, for the time being.

Predictably, a few days after he received the assignment, he was approached by Sylvain and Mercedes. They found him just outside the dining hall, at the top of the stone staircase.

Mercedes smiled sweetly and waved. “Hello, Professor.”

Byleth nodded. “Hi, Mercedes. Sylvain.”

Sylvain gave a half wave. “Hey. Want to take a guess at why we’re here?”

Byleth replied flatly, “Is this about my class’ mission for this month?”

“You guessed it! Right on, Professor.” Sylvain smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Mercedes lightly put a hand over Sylvain’s thumb and lowered it. “What Sylvain means to say is that we would both like to join your class on this month’s assignment, if it’s okay with you.”

Sylvain’s smile fell and he scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. I’d really appreciate it if you took me with you.”

Byleth had been expecting this ever since he got the assignment. The man they were being sent to kill was Sylvain’s older brother, after all. “I don’t mind at all. I will check with my class next time we meet.”

The corners of Sylvain’s mouth curled into a smile, but there was no mirth in it. “Thanks, Professor.”

Byleth looked at Mercedes. “Are you being sent by Hanneman to look after him?”

“Yes. I also thought it might help to have an extra healer.”

Byleth cocked his head a little. The Blue Lions had an assignment this month, as well, but Mercedes was their only healer. “What will the Blue Lions do, then?”

Waving a hand dismissively, Mercedes said, “Oh, they’ll be alright. I hear Marianne is joining them for their assignment as their healer. And Professor Manuela is the best healer at the academy, so the Golden Deer will be fine, too.”

“It seems like you thoroughly planned this out.”

Sylvain breathed out a puff of air, amused. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. That wasn’t us. I’m pretty sure it’s all a coincidence, actually.” He lowered his voice. “Actually, I hear Marianne is thinking about joining the Blue Lions. Don’t ask how I know that, though.”

Mercedes asked, “Oh, is this about the date you went on last week?”

“No, I heard about it on my date yesterday, actually.”

Byleth had heard the rumors, but Sylvain really did go on a lot of dates.

Mercedes smiled innocently. A little _too_ innocently. “Is that so?”

“Uh, yeah... Hey, there’s nothing wrong with playing the field, is there?” Sylvain’s expression became self-assured. “Besides, you’re looking real nice today, Mercedes.” Just after the words left his mouth, his eyes widened, as if he caught his mistake.

Byleth realized that Mercedes’ smile wasn’t innocent at all. It was _threatening._ “You flirt with people in front of Professor Byleth, now? Don’t you think that’s disrespectful?” She spoke with a pleasant tone, but her words still managed to be intimidating all the same.

To Sylvain’s credit, he hardly seemed phased. He turned to Byleth. “Hey, sorry about that. I swear I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Byleth sighed faintly. It was more of a huff, than anything. He would let it slide; he didn’t enjoy using his authority as a professor for things like this. “Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Sylvain nodded quickly. “Yeah, definitely. Sorry again. Well, I have somewhere to be, so I’ll be going now.” With a wave, he walked away.

Mercedes turned to Byleth. “Please don’t take his behavior the wrong way. Sylvain has... a lot going on.”

Byleth had already gotten the picture from his previous interactions with Sylvain. “I know.” Although, Sylvain had left before Byleth had the chance to ask him anything. “Do you know anything about Sylvain’s relationship with his brother?”

Mercedes frowned. “Well it’s not really my place to say, but... all I know is that the two of them hate each other.” She paused. “Actually, that’s not right. Miklan hates Sylvain, but I think that Sylvain only hates what his brother represents. It will be an emotional battle for him. Please look out for him, Professor.”

Byleth nodded. “You have my word.” He only hoped that it would be over quickly, for Sylvain’s sake.

* * *

Since their mission was in the northernmost part of the kingdom, the Black Eagles took horses and wagons to their destination. Edelgard picked a wagon out for her and Hubert, and the two of them sat next to each other on one of the benches. To Edelgard’s annoyance, Sylvain seemed to have had his eyes on the same wagon. He slid onto the opposite bench, followed by Mercedes. 

Sylvain crossed an ankle over his thigh, stretching his elbows over the edge of the wagon. “It’s not every day I get to sit across from a real-life princess!”

Edelgard’s eye twitched. She could’ve sworn that everyone in the monastery was in on some sort of joke at her expense. “Do you and Claude talk often, by any chance?”

Sylvain blinked in confusion. “What? No, not really. Why do you ask?”

Edelgard held back a sigh. Perhaps it was coincidence that everyone teased her in the exact same way. “No reason in particular.”

Sylvain squinted his eyes. “I... see. Well, if it’s about the princess thing, the nickname definitely suits you.” He smiled confidently, “You’re a real beauty.”

Edelgard was about to reply, but Hubert stepped in before she could do so. “Do not say such things about Lady Edelgard so flippantly.”

“What, are you saying that she _isn’t_ a beauty?” Sylvain cocked an eyebrow and smiled. A challenge.

Hubert crossed his arms, and his voice rose ever so slightly in anger. “Of course not. What are you, some sort of-”

He was cut off by Mercedes, who raised her hands in a calming gesture. “Now, now, let’s all settle down. It wouldn’t do to start arguing right before the assignment.”

Hubert scowled, but he didn’t say anything else. Edelgard was a bit proud of him for that, honestly. Perhaps not even he could argue with Mercedes’ gentle demeanor.

The wagon started moving, and the four of them sat in silence for a bit. After a while, Sylvain said, “So, Edelgard, what did Dimitri want to tell you?”

That came out of nowhere. “What do you mean?”

“You know, on the day of the Rite of Rebirth. I remember he followed you around for weeks before he finally approached you. Like a little lost puppy!”

‘Puppy’ wasn’t the word that Edelgard would have used, but it didn’t matter. She knew what Sylvain was talking about. She looked into the distance, remembering the odd encounter. On the day of the Rite, Dimitri had asked about her hair color and her dagger; the conversation had not followed any sort of logic. “I do not actually know what he meant to say. He said several things that, frankly, made no sense at all. When I asked him what he meant by it, he invited me to tea. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, so I said no.” 

Sylvain leaned forward a bit. “You said no? Well, that makes sense, actually. Knowing Dimitri, I have a pretty good idea of how that conversation went.”

Edelgard’s eyes drifted a bit skyward. “It was an... experience, to say the least.”

“You should really talk to him, though. Didn’t you two used to know each other? Something about a dagger, right?”

That gave Edelgard pause. Dimitri did mention something about her dagger... but he didn’t say anything about meeting each other in the past. That was odd, since she had never met Dimitri before coming to the monastery. “No, actually. We never knew each other in the past.”

“Huh. That’s weird.” Sylvain pursed his lips. “At any rate, you should talk to him. You can see what he has to say, I guess, and maybe you can figure out what’s up. Whatever it is, it’s really bugging him. Believe me, I’m around him all the time.”

Edelgard hated to take advice from Sylvain of all people, but he did have a point. There was no sense in refusing to listen to whatever Dimitri wanted to say. “Perhaps. I’ll think about it.”

Sylvain smiled. “Good! That’s all a guy can really ask for.”

* * *

The fight in the tower wasn't as difficult as expected. As Byleth led the students and Gilbert up the tower, the narrow hallways only contained the occasional rogue, which his students took out quickly. After going up another set of stairs, Byleth spotted another rogue in front of the door. He said under his breath, "Edelgard."

Edelgard, who was next to him, took a throwing axe from her belt and chucked it at the rogue. The axe took him by surprise and hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him over. Hubert sent an orb of dark magic at the fallen rogue, securing the kill. Edelgard took a moment to retrieve her axe.

Byleth led the group to the door. From what he could see, they were almost at the top of the tower, if they weren't there already. He turned to his students and said, "This could be the final room. Is everyone prepared?"

Gilbert said, “I’ll be taking your orders. Lead us well, Professor.”

Casper grinned. "I'm as ready as ever!"

Petra nodded. "I am the same."

"Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Dorothea said.

There were similar murmurs of ascent from the rest of his students. Sylvain, however, was silent. His face was scrunched into a rather serious - by Sylvain’s standards - expression. Byleth turned to Sylvain. "Are you ready to face him?"

All eyes drifted to Sylvain, who quickly schooled his face into his characteristic smile. Mercedes, who was standing beside him, frowned at the feigned expression. Sylvain said, "I'm ready whenever you are, Professor."

Byleth nodded. Sylvain's confidence was obviously faked, but there was no point in mentioning it. “We will fight in three groups. Edelgard, Sylvain, and Petra, with me. The second group will be Ferdinand, Bernadetta, Hubert, and Mercedes. The third will be Gilbert, Caspar, Dorothea, and Linhardt. Understood?”

There were curt nods from everyone.

"Good. Let's go." He pushed open the door with his left hand while holding the Sword of the Creator in his right. As expected, the lock was already broken, probably from when Miklan and his men originally took over the tower.

The moment the door creaked open, the rogue nearest to the door turned his head towards the rest of the room and shouted, "They're here! The church's goons have finally made it!"

A red-haired man stood at the back of the room. His face was rougher than Sylvain's and had many more scars, but the bright red hair they shared undeniably indicated that he was Sylvain's brother. He yelled back with a snarl, "Kill them where they stand."

While the first rogue was distracted, Byleth took advantage and rushed forward, extending his sword to impale and kill the rogue instantly. Without taking his eyes off of the rest of the enemies in the room, he said to his class, "My group will fight our way to Miklan. Ferdinand’s group, go left. Gilbert’s group, go right. Keep as many of them off of us as you can."

A small flurry of arrows soared from the back of the room as a small group of Miklan’s archers shot at the class. Byleth swung the Sword of the Creator in a large X-pattern, catching most of the arrows. An arrow made it through his defense, but it landed harmlessly on the ground next to his foot. "Now!" He said.

The two other groups split off, while Byleth led his group in a charge towards Miklan. Sylvain felled a swordsman to his left. An axeman blocked Byleth’s way and swung when he got close enough. Byleth ducked under the swing and impaled him on the Sword of the Creator, slaying him. Petra stood still for a moment to aim an arrow at a swordsman. The arrow hit him in the stomach. When he hunched over in pain, Edelgard took advantage of it and struck him down.

Byleth glanced towards Ferdinand’s group. Ferdinand was hit by the spell of an enemy mage, but Mercedes was already healing him. Bernadetta was hugging the wall and Hubert was casting a spell at the mage who had hit Ferdinand. They were relatively safe, for now.

He looked at Gilbert’s group. Caspar and Gilbert were in the front, while Linhardt and Dorothea trailed not far behind. Just as Byleth’s eyes landed on Dorothea, he saw an enemy arrow fly and hit her straight in the chest.

He used Divine Pulse to rewind only a handful of seconds. He shouted, “Dorothea, duck!” Dorothea, who had been preparing a spell in her hands, immediately let the spell dissipate and ducked. The arrow that had hit her before grazed harmlessly over her head.

Petra said, “Professor, behind you!” Byleth twisted around and just barely blocked an enemy’s sword with his own. The enemy swordsman smirked, probably proud of catching Byleth off-guard, but it lasted only a moment before Sylvain struck the man down with his lance.

Byleth said, “Thanks.”

Sylvain only jerked his head in acknowledgement. He faced forwards again to engage the next enemy.

The battle progressed in a similar manner until Byleth ordered Edelgard and Petra to split off and help the other two groups. Strangely, the path to Miklan had less soldiers than the sides of the room; perhaps the thieves were planning to flank his group. As the battle went on, the formations of both Byleth’s students and Miklan’s soldiers became looser and shakier, making the entire battlefield much more chaotic. The students were still in groups, but their formations weren’t as tight as before.

Eventually, Byleth and Sylvain reached the back of the room. Miklan stood only a small distance away, now. He wasn’t fighting; he was only watching the battle and commanding his group from afar. Byleth extended his sword, killing the last rogue that stood in the way. It was a clear shot to Miklan. Sylvain sprinted towards him, lance raised. A rogue jumped from the left and tried to stop Sylvain, but Byleth stepped in the rogue’s path and blocked the rogue’s sword with his own. “Go,” he said. “It’s your fight, right?”

Sylvain nodded. “Thanks, Professor.” He ran off, lance raised to attack. He shouted, “Miklan! I’m here to take that lance back!” 

Byleth dueled with the rogue for a few moments, but he quickly outmaneuvered his opponent and stabbed him in the chest. He quickly glanced around, his eyes drawn to movement by the wall. He noticed a rogue trying to sneak up on Bernadetta, who was aiming her bow towards the middle of the room. He quickly ran towards them and extended the Sword of the Creator. The rogue was so focused on Bernadetta that she didn’t notice Byleth until the extended sword had already buried itself into her shoulder.

Bernadetta quickly turned around, finally noticing the enemy behind her. “Oh! Professor, you saved me.”

Byleth retracted his sword again when he reached them and slashed at the rogue from close range. The rogue easily dodged; this wasn’t an opponent that Bernadetta could handle alone. Byleth said, “Go help Sylvain.” Bernadetta would be much safer helping Sylvain battle Miklan than facing this opponent on her own.

“Right!” Bernadetta ran in the direction that Byleth had come from. 

The rogue kept low to the ground and swiped horizontally with a dagger. Byleth dodged to the side. The rogue followed up with a jab from another dagger in her opposite hand, but Byleth stepped back to avoid it. The most obvious weakness of daggers was that they had a limited range, and Byleth intended to take full advantage. He backed up one more step before he extended his sword in a straight line, aimed straight at the rogue’s chest. 

What he didn’t account for was the rogue’s agility; she was able to quickly dodge out of the way at this distance. Byleth readied himself to parry the next strike. However, the rogue’s face suddenly went blank and she fell, revealing Edelgard standing on the other side with her axe buried in the rogue’s back.

Byleth opened his mouth to say something, but Edelgard beat him to it. Her eyes were wide with alarm, and her voice sounded urgent. “Professor. The students fighting Miklan are in danger.”

Byleth spared a glance at the back of the room, where Sylvain was locked in battle with Miklan. Caspar was with him; he had joined while Byleth wasn’t looking. Bernadetta had a bow aimed at Miklan from a spot near the wall. Sylvain swept his lance in a wide arc, forcing Miklan to step back. The moment Miklan stepped away, Bernadetta let an arrow loose and it struck his leg.

Byleth looked back to Edelgard. “What do you mean?” He scanned the rest of the room, trying to spot if any of his students might be in danger. No one seemed to need immediate help. He wanted to go and aid someone else on the battlefield, but he wanted to hear what Edelgard had to say. It seemed important, judging from her expression.

“She didn’t tell-?” She paused. “It doesn’t matter. That weapon is going to transform Miklan into a demonic beast.”

That was all he needed to hear. Byleth took off running towards Miklan. Edelgard knew more about recent happenings than she let on, and Byleth would be stupid to question it now. He shouted, “Sylvain, Caspar, Bernadetta! Fall back!”  
  


Sylvain parried a blow from Miklan’s glowing relic lance. He said, “What? Why?”

That wasn’t good. Byleth had forgotten that Sylvain might not trust his orders as much as the Black Eagles did. Before he could repeat the order, though, Caspar said, “You ask that _now_? C’mon!” He ran past Sylvain towards Byleth. Bernadetta backed away easily, since she was already at a good distance from any enemies.

Sylvain tried to jump back, but Miklan followed him. Miklan grinned widely. “Don’t think you’ll get away so easily, brother!” Sylvain was forced to parry another blow. Byleth wanted to interfere, but he didn’t trust his aim at long range when Sylvain and Miklan were so close together. Miklan kept up the attack, forcing Sylvain to block heavy blow after heavy blow. “You’re laughably weak! I should’ve been the one with a crest! Not an undeserving child like you!”

Byleth ran up and planted his feet firmly on the ground, swinging his sword to hit Miklan with a heavy blow in the side. Miklan’s armor stopped the worst of it, but he grunted and staggered away. Byleth’s eyes flicked to Sylvain. “Go.”

Sylvain quickly backed up a few steps before he turned around and ran to help Ferdinand with his opponent. Good. Now, Byleth only had to worry about himself. He returned his gaze to Miklan.

Miklan recovered and swung his lance, but Byleth jumped backwards, out of its range. When Miklan drew his relic lance back, Byleth followed and swung his sword directly at Miklan’s chest. To Byleth’s surprise, Miklan quickly maneuvered his lance to parry the sword. Their relic weapons clashed in a shower of red sparks, the resulting noise sounding more like the clack of bones than the ring of steel on steel. Miklan was clearly much more skilled than any of the men he led, even with an arrow buried in his leg.

Miklan’s smile was wild. Something about his expression had a manic edge to it, making him appear almost on the brink of madness. Miklan said, “Who the hell are you? I was going to put that brother of mine in his place.” 

Byleth didn’t bother responding. He quickly whipped his sword and body away from the parry. He slipped his weapon under Miklan’s guard, but it only scraped the armor at Miklan’s chest as Miklan jumped back. 

The battle continued, with Byleth just barely managing to cut Miklan shallowly in-between Miklan’s heavy lance swings. The power of the Lance of Ruin was formidable; it was no surprise, considering it was a Heroes’ Relic. 

Eventually, Miklan’s attacks became more reckless, and Byleth managed to deeply slice the leg that already had an arrow in it. Miklan aimed a blow at Byleth’s neck, but Byleth could clearly read his intention and ducked down, making another good cut on Miklan’s forearm.

Byleth was about to attack again when he noticed a strange, red stream of ooze jump out of Miklan’s weapon. The ooze clung to Miklan’s arm. Miklan tried to touch it with his opposite hand. “What the...”

Another stream of ooze jumped out and clung to the hand. More ooze shot out of the weapon at a rapid rate, quickly consuming Miklan’s entire right arm.

Sothis yelled, “This looks like bad news! Get out of there!”

Byleth heard Edelgard’s voice behind him, “Professor!”

Since Miklan was preoccupied with the ooze, Byleth was easily able to back away. The students were all around him, watching Miklan. There weren’t any enemies left standing; it seemed that any left standing had already fled the room, leaving Miklan alone.

Byleth could only watch as the red ooze quickly crawled up Miklan’s arm. Miklan screamed in terror, clawing at the ooze. It was futile, though; the ooze slipped right through his fingertips.

* * *

Edelgard watched as Miklan was consumed by blood-red sludge. It was horrifying to watch, but she needed to see it with her own eyes. She knew exactly what was happening; Miklan was turning into a demonic beast.

The process was different from how Those Who Slither In The Dark purposely made their demonic beasts. Usually, they used a crest stone without its weapon to turn people into beasts. It was a rather silent affair, with the stone quickly covering the host in sludge before transforming it into a demonic beast.

With an entire Heroes’ Relic, though, it was different. Instead of silently creeping up, the sludge shot out of the weapon, as if it were rebelling against the very idea of a wielder without a crest. It rebelled against anyone born with the wrong bloodline, obeying the goddess’ will without question. 

Well, that last part made sense, at least. It was only a stone with no will of its own, after all.

Edelgard took a few steps to get to Byleth. She only had a scant few moments before Miklan completed his transformation. She told Byleth, “This beast will be much stronger than one you might find in the forest. We must be prepared.”

Byleth whipped his head towards her. “I... how do you know that?” His face looked neutral at a glance, but the way his eyes darted to her and the subtle purse of his lips indicated that he was apprehensive. That observation surprised Edelgard; she hadn’t realized she was capable of reading his emotions.

From Byleth’s responses both earlier and now, it was plain to see that Rhea hadn’t warned him about the possibility of Miklan transforming into a demonic beast. That was odd, to say the least; Rhea should’ve fully known the consequences of using a Heroes’ Relic without a crest.

Edelgard said, “There’s no time, now. We need to prepare.” Edelgard glanced at Miklan, who was now completely covered in sludge.

Byleth stared at her for a moment before he turned back to watch Miklan and nodded. “Right.” He turned to face everyone and ordered, “Lance-users, I want you in the front, but don’t fight him until I say so. Any other melee fighters, stay near me, and everyone else should stay in the backline. We don’t know what we’re facing, so be prepared for-”

Byleth was interrupted by the piercing screech of a demonic beast. The thing that was once Miklan was a hulking, heavily armored creature with glowing red eyes.

The rest of Edelgard’s class moved to their positions. Edelgard didn’t need to move, since she was already standing next to Byleth. She readied her axe.

The beast stood up, shaking off the rest of the sludge.

Byleth held the Sword of the Creator high in the air. Edelgard spared only a quick glance at his face, but he suddenly seemed much more self-assured than before - confident. It was the self-assuredness that always brought comfort to her when she wasn’t sure about what the future may hold. She wasn’t sure how he composed himself so quickly, but he was Byleth. That was just who he was.

Byleth swung his arm and extended the sword, the blade hitting the beast’s neck while the tip curled around it. Byleth shouted, “Lances, backline, attack!”

Ferdinand and Sylvain ran up to the front of the beast, using the long reach of their lances to attempt to pierce the beast’s chest while still keeping their distance. However, Byleth was only holding the beast’s head immobile; its arms were still free. The beast lifted one of its front arms and sweeped it at Sylvain. Sylvain jumped back at the last second, and Ferdinand managed to hit the beast’s opposite arm at the same time. Edelgard couldn’t see Ferdinand’s strike from her vantage point, but, when he withdrew to avoid retaliation from the beast, he was no longer holding his lance. It seemed that the lance had pierced too deep, and he couldn’t yank it back out. 

A couple of arrows soared at the beast, but they ricocheted harmlessly off of the beast’s thick hide. Hubert’s black magic and a strike of Dorothea’s lightning magic hit at the same time, but the beast seemed to be unaffected.

Ferdinand said, “My lance!”

Once Ferdinand and Sylvain were sufficiently away from the beast, Byleth yanked his sword downwards, rending a long, bloody cut all the way around the beast’s neck. Byleth retracted his sword back into its normal form; when he did so, Edelgard could see that the cut at the beast’s neck wasn’t actually that deep.

Edelgard felt rather useless, standing there without doing anything. She asked, “Professor?”

Byleth took the normal steel sword he usually kept at his waist and tossed it to Ferdinand. Ferdinand caught it easily by the sheath. Byleth said, “Keep your distance; everyone. We don’t know what it can do, yet.” He extended his sword again, wrapping it around one of the beast’s front legs - the uninjured one. Edelgard saw him try to yank and make the beast go off-balance, but he wasn’t strong enough to move it.

Edelgard took a throwing axe from her belt and aimed it at the beast’s neck, where Byleth had made the shallow cut with the Sword of the Creator. She threw it, but the beast moved and the axe bounced off of the unharmed skin on its neck. She said to Byleth, “I know what it can do.”

The backline followed Edelgard’s example, aiming at the beast’s exposed neck. The beast moved out of the way of Bernadetta’s arrow and Dorothea’s Thoron, but Hubert’s Mire managed to land right on the exposed flesh. It left a corrosive, purple stain, and the beast screamed in pain.

Byleth withdrew his sword in the same way as before, but it didn’t leave quite as clean a cut as the same maneuver did on the beast’s neck. The bones and muscles in the beast’s arm gave it an odd curvature, so the sword only managed to cut through some bulging muscle. Once the sword was back in its normal form, Byleth said, “Then do what you need to.” He extended his sword again, trying to pierce into the beast’s side, but it barely even pierced the skin without being wrapped around it. 

With those few words, Byleth had placed complete trust in Edelgard and her knowledge of the demonic beast. He had essentially just given her permission to act against orders. And it was only because she had said that she knew something. Edelgard tried to make eye contact with Byleth, but he was looking away. She wanted to ask him why he would put so much trust in her, but now wasn’t the time.

Edelgard had never taken down a relic-infused demonic beast herself, but she had seen it done before. She knew that the weakest spot in the beast’s defense was its eyes. (The mouth was a weak spot, too, but only while it was open.) The eyes were a small target, but it was possible that Bernadetta’s aim would still be able to hit the mark. And perhaps Hubert’s magic was a large enough projectile to blind it. She said, “Bernadetta and Hubert, aim for the eyes! Everyone else, let us overwhelm it with numbers!” 

Byleth said, “Do what she says! Spread out as much as you can so you don’t get hit at once.”

To their credit, the Black Eagles took the odd joint order in stride. The melee attackers surrounded the demonic beast in a semicircle, since the beast was against the wall. The healers and ranged attackers stayed in the back, but spread out as well. Edelgard stood near the beast’s already injured arm. Byleth stood right in front of the beast, attacking it wildly with the Sword of the Creator to get its attention. The beast roared and swiped a claw at Byleth. Edelgard expected him to dodge out of the way, but he only put his sword in front of him to guard and took the hit, getting pushed back several feet. 

Edelgard shouted, “Professor!”

When he slowed, Byleth grabbed the dagger from his belt with his left hand and jammed it into the bottom of the beast’s foot. The beast cried out in pain. Byleth said, “Now!”

Edelgard wanted to help Byleth, but she forced herself to turn her attention back to the beast. Just as she turned away, she saw Byleth glow with a Physic spell. He would be fine.

Edelgard planted her feet firmly on the ground and swung her axe at the beast's leg, just below where Ferdinand's lance was stuck in its flesh. Her axe cleaved straight through the beast's skin and into muscle, tearing through whatever tissue wasn't already damaged by Ferdinand's strike. Vibrations shot up her arms when her axe struck bone. She yanked on her weapon, forcefully freeing it before the beast could move and make her lose her grip.

Edelgard quickly jumped back, knowing that Byleth had only bought them a few seconds to attack. She could see her classmates doing the same. 

Byleth shouted, “Petra, move!” Edelgard saw Petra leap away from the wall, only for the beast to lash its tail and take out the nearby chunk of wall instantly, pieces of it falling to the ground. If Petra had even been a second later, she might’ve been crushed.

The beast withdrew its arm from Byleth. Byleth sent the Sword of the Creator out again, probably trying to bind one of the beast’s limbs, but the movement left him open to attacks. The beast took advantage and swiped sideways at Byleth.

Edelgard was only a few steps too far away to help him. She ran in his direction, but she knew she would be too late.

Suddenly, Gilbert appeared from behind. He stepped in front of Byleth and pushed him back. However, Gilbert didn’t have enough time to put up his shield against the beast’s attack, and he went flying several feet and fell to the ground. His giant shield flew out of his hands and skated against the floor with the screeching sound of metal on stone. It came to a stop near Edelgard.

Gilbert was alive, but the wind had been knocked out of him. He probably had internal damage, too. If it were anyone else who had gotten hit, they would probably be dead, or close to it.

Byleth jerked his sword up to retaliate, but the beast retreated out of the way. Byleth retracted his sword and stood in front of Gilbert.

“I’ve got him!”, Mercedes shouted. She ran up to Gilbert and crouched down, casting a point-blank healing spell on him. 

Byleth kept his eyes on the beast, which was recoiling from the ranged attacks of the students. “Gilbert’s too close; someone needs to move him.”

Mercedes replied, “He’s too heavy, we can’t.” Gilbert was so heavily armored that no one would be able to pull him away quick enough.

“He’ll be hit by attacks if we take much longer,” Byleth said. “We need to end this, now!” 

The demonic beast recovered from the magic it had been hit with, and lifted one of its legs to attack again.

Edelgard picked up Gilbert’s shield and held it in both hands. She ran towards the beast, fully intending to take the hit. Edelgard held the shield above her head just as the beast stomped down with its gigantic foot. She was almost crushed by its sheer weight, not to mention the force of the beast trying to push her down. As the shield slightly dented in and the floor cracked beneath her feet, she realized that the power of her twin crests was probably the only thing keeping her standing. She shouted, “Go!”

During the next few moments, she couldn’t see what was happening around her. A flash of purple - Petra slicing into a back leg with her sword. A burst of white and a numbing feeling in her arms - Dorothea casting a Thunder spell on the beast. A glimpse of a bright sword glowing red - Byleth, stabbing the beast’s chest. The beast cried out in agony.

Then, Edelgard heard another set of footsteps from behind. She could see Sylvain as he passed her and ran straight at the demonic beast, his lance held with both hands. With a wordless shout, he thrust the lance up into the beast’s neck, rending a large tear through it. He stepped back, breathing heavily.

Byleth shouted, “Everyone, back!”

Edelgard put all of her strength into her legs and leaped back from under the beast’s foot. Just as she stopped supporting its weight, the foot slammed down onto the floor with a cracking noise. Everyone else in the room retreated as far as they could, still surrounding the beast.

Ferdinand said, “Professor, what are your ord-”

Byleth held up a hand, and Ferdinand stopped talking. Staring at the beast, Byleth said, “It’s dead.”

Blood poured out of the beast’s neck and splashed onto the floor. It staggered, pitching to the side and barely catching itself in time. Then, it pitched in the opposite direction, and its severely injured leg wasn’t enough to support its weight. Its leg gave out and the beast fell to the ground, making a groaning sound from somewhere in its throat. After several long moments, its body went completely still - dead.

A rather pitiful death for such a powerful beast.

The beast’s body disintegrated quickly, turning to dust before disappearing completely. With the beast’s body gone, only Miklan was left lying there, still holding the Lance of Ruin.

Edelgard heard Bernadetta’s voice from behind. “Is he...?”

Byleth walked forward, bent down, and put his fingers to Miklan’s neck, checking his pulse. “He’s dead.”

Byleth stood back up. At the same time, Sylvain staggered forward. He fell to his knees in front of Miklan’s body. Edelgard could only see him from the back, and she couldn’t even imagine what his face might look like.

Sylvain’s voice was quiet. Defeated. “Miklan, you absolute... idiot.”

* * *

Byleth put his hand on Sylvain’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure how to comfort people with words, so actions were all he truly had.

After a while, Sylvain suddenly stood up, and Byleth removed his hand from Sylvain’s shoulder. Sylvain, still staring at Miklan’s body, said, “Are we ready to go?”

Byleth replied, “Whenever you are.”

Sylvain picked up his lance from where he’d let it fall next to him. “Let’s go, then.”

The walk back down to the foot of the tower was quiet. Byleth kept an eye on Sylvain, but Sylvain seemed to gain confidence with every step. Byleth wasn’t sure how much of his confidence was faked, but he got the feeling that Sylvain wouldn’t appreciate him questioning about it.

At the bottom of the tower, Byleth told everyone to take a break before loading up the supplies. They spent about half an hour resting and eating the rations they’d packed. Byleth sat by himself in the back of one of the wagons, while most of the students scattered about on the grass. The entire group was silent at first, but conversations bubbled up here and there by the end of the break. 

Byleth was officially in charge of the mission, but he let Gilbert oversee loading the supplies back into the wagons. Byleth took it upon himself to see to the Lance of Ruin, which he quickly but carefully wrapped in a cloth and bound with rope. He didn’t want to touch it for very long, after seeing what it had done to Miklan. He placed it under the bench of the first wagon, where he would be sitting. 

As Byleth walked back to the main group, he saw Sylvain and Mercedes walking towards him. Sylvain didn’t have any of the traces of the sadness from before. Byleth imagined it wasn’t possible to recover from the death of one’s brother so quickly, but Sylvain seemed to have recovered enough to push the feelings aside.

Sylvain was holding weapons that they had taken from the men in the tower. He was holding so many weapons that he needed both arms to carry them, while Mercedes was holding nothing. It was probably due to that odd sense of chivalry Sylvain seemed to have.

Byleth heard some of their conversation as they walked towards him. Sylvain said, “I don’t know, won’t that be weird?”

Mercedes said, “Of course not! You should go for it!” She looked away from Sylvain and saw Byleth. “Look, he’s even right here!”

“Talk about timing.”

Byleth stopped in front of them. “Did you need me for something?”

Sylvain replied, “Actually, yeah. Um, how do I put this...” He looked down and kicked at the dirt. The nervous action looked odd while he was carrying armfuls of weapons.

Mercedes said, “You can do it! You ask girls out all the time.”

“Well, yeah, but this is different.”

Byleth had the horrible realization that Sylvain might be asking him out.

Sothis teased, “Maybe he ran out of girls?”

Byleth hoped not. He wasn’t sure what he would do if Sylvain did actually ask him out. He was fairly certain that professors couldn’t go on dates with their students. Was Sylvain expecting him to disobey that rule? He wondered how he should refuse Sylvain. Did he need to let him down gently? Byleth wouldn’t even know how to go about that. Maybe it was better to just be direct? 

He decided to be direct. That was all he knew how to do, after all.

Sylvain said, “Can I join your class? The Black Eagles, I mean.”

Sylvain wanted to join the Black Eagles?

Byleth was filled with relief. Sylvain... _wasn’t_ asking him out? He was happy to be wrong about that.

Sothis laughed. “How funny! You always jump to such interesting conclusions.”

_You thought he was asking me out, too. You suggested that he ran out of girls._

“Oh, that? I was just teasing! Yet, it was hilarious how you took my words so seriously! Oh, how I wish I could’ve seen your face at that moment.”

_There wouldn’t have been much to see_. Byleth knew he wasn’t the most expressive person.

“Well, that is true...”

Sylvain waved his hand in front of Byleth’s face. “Um, hello? This is House Gautier, reporting to Professor Byleth. Are you there?”

Byleth realized how long he had been standing still and saying nothing. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“You may join the Black Eagles. I need to check with my current students first, but it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll talk with Hanneman when we arrive back at the monastery to figure out the details.” There was one thing Byleth was curious about. “Is there any particular reason for the transfer?”

Sylvain smiled. “Really? That’s great! Thanks, Professor. And, if you want to know the reason...” He paused. “I’ve been with your class on two assignments out of the year already, yeah? So I’ve been able to see how you all work together and how I fit into the group. And, I like the group. There’s a lot less friend drama here than in the Blue Lions, and there are more cute girls here, as a nice bonus.” Sylvain quickly glanced at Mercedes. “No offense, Mercedes.”

Mercedes smiled. “None taken.”

It was a much more long and thought-out answer than Byleth expected, but he supposed that switching classes would be a hard decision. It was no wonder that Sylvain had several reasons for it. “The Black Eagles will be happy to have you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I finally got this chapter out!  
> Sorry it took so long, I injured my wrists and then actually writing the chapter gave me some trouble too, haha. Not completely satisfied with how the chap turned out, but thought I'd get it out there anyways.
> 
> Lots of Sylvain in this chapter, but he's now officially part of the Black Eagle gang! It was also everyone's first time seeing a demonic beast transformation, aside from Edelgard. I wonder how she knew so much about demonic beasts ;D  
> Next chapter will be shorter, just a few scenes after they return to the monastery. But after that we're getting into some real exciting stuff! I'm pumped to write it.
> 
> Not sure what my posting schedule will be, considering school and my possible participation in nanowrimo, but next chapter should get out more quickly than this one did.  
> Until next time!


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